Victory Liner sues newsman for faking bus passes

DAGUPAN CITY — Passenger bus company Victory Liner told local reporters here yesterday that it is set to sue a newsman for allegedly distributing fake bus passes in exchange for a certain amount.

Superintendent Aaron Recla, team leader of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) covering the third and fourth districts of Pangasinan, identified the suspect as Jimmy San Luis Manaois, popularly known here as Rannie Jim Manaois, 44, resident of BonuanGueset.

The bus company filed last July 14 a complaint against Manaois after a concerned citizen tipped them off of the suspect’s illegal activities.

In a week’s time, three fake passes, issued to Marivel Cristobal, Joel Flores and Lamberto Fajardo were confiscated by the bus inspectors separately Caloocan City, Olongapo City and Sison town.

During the custodial investigation, Manaois admitted he gave the passes to Cristobal and Flores, who were his aunt and nephew, respectively.

Johnny Hernandez, owner of Victory Liner, said he came to know about the proliferation of fake passes when former Sto. Tomas Mayor Antonio Villar Jr alerted him about it.

Hernandez has been giving Villar for many years already 40 passes a year, which the latter gives to indigent people and some mediamen. One of the recipients yearly was Manaois.

However, based on investigation, it turned out that Manaois has been allegedly reproducing the passes and making a business out of it.

Reached by The STAR for comment, Manaois denied involvement in the proliferation of fake passes, saying the passes could have been forged by one of his relatives.