Beware of counterfeit bills, NCRPO warns public

MANILA — The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday called on the public to be wary of counterfeit money, after the Pasay City police arrested three men for peddling fake currencies in casinos.

“We advise the residents to carefully examine their bills, so as not to be victimized by this illegal activity. We also call on the public to call the authorities for information that will lead to the arrest of those behind these counterfeit money,” NCRPO Director, Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

“Pinagbabawal sa atin ang paggamit ng mga pekeng pera at tuloy-tuloy naman ang mga ginagawa nating operation para sa pagkalap natin ng magandang impormasyon (Use of fake money is prohibited and our operations, including information gathering, against this illegal activity continues),” he added.

The suspects — Fernando Silanga, 44, a dismissed police officer; Tiange Wu, 31, a Chinese national and casino junket operator; and Song Ho Sang, 53, a South Korean national — were arrested at the Resorts World Manila (RWM) on Wednesday night.

Silanga was last assigned to the Eastern Police District in San Juan City. In 2009, he was charged with an administrative case, detained and released on bail. He was ordered demoted in April 2011 and was dismissed from the service in April last year.

The operation stemmed from a telephone call from the in-house security of RWM who reported that the three suspects allegedly attempted to transact using counterfeit currency. They were questioned and arrested after the complaint against them was verified.

Investigation disclosed that the fake money came from another South Korean suspect, identified as James Park, who is now the subject of follow-up operation.

Confiscated from the suspects were fake US dollar bills worth PHP287,700, which they tried to change into casino chips worth PHP15 million.

“We already coordinated this with the US Embassy for their assistance. We also remind the public to be wary of transactions involving foreign currency. When it doubt, show it to authorities to determine if these are genuine or not,” Eleazar said.

The suspects were brought to the Pasay City Police Station, and the Station Investigation and Detective Management Branch for proper disposition and further investigation.

Eleazar said the suspects will face charges for violating Article 168 of the Revised Penal Code (Illegal Possession and Use of False Treasury Bank Notes and other Instruments of Credit) and estafa.