CEBU, Philippines - A ranking police official has cautioned the public to be vigilant of the possibility that fake peso bills might once again flood the market because of political season.
Regional Intelligence Division-7 chief Pablo Labra II said his office received information about some politicians using fake money.
“Atong nadawat nga information nga dunay mga kandidato na nagpasiugda ug pagtuyok og mga fake money (We have information that some candidates are circulating fake money),†Labra said.
Labra however said they are still validating the information. But, he said that the use of counterfeit money was rampant in Cebu during the 2004 and 2007 elections. In fact, the police have confiscated several fake P500 bills during that time.
According to Labra, their information says that some “prominent politicians†in the northern Cebu are trying to buy votes using fake P500 and P1000 bills.
“Kaniadto sa previous elections, fake nga mga P500 ang gipakatap, but ang reports lately, daghan ang ilang gihimo kuno na mga P1,000 fake money bills (In the previous elections fake five hundred pesos were used but our latest information says they are now using one thousand peso fake bills),†Labra disclosed.
The fake bills are usually distributed to residents in the mountain barangays.
“So I’ll take this opportunity to tell the public na magbantay kita sa mga posibleng ipakatap na fake P500 and P1,000 bills. Based sa history sa mga previous elections, mao ni usually ang time nga musiaw ang pag-distribute,†said Labra.
Labra said this also serves as a warning for the concerned politicians.
“Just to let them know nga ga-monitor mi,†Labra added. —-FPL (FREEMAN)