9 held for extortion

Nine persons who posed as employees of the Quezon City government, including one claiming to be working for Mayor Joy Belmonte, were charged on Monday after they allegedly tried to extort money from a contractor.

Merlito de Luna, 40; Kristine Esplana, 34; Jennifer Rosero, 35; Marie Victoria Acebron, 29; Jennet Umali, 45; Rowena Bauzon, 45; Reynaldo Rios, 64; Abdullah Romeo Ng, 51; and Michael Angelio Mendoza, 45 were charged with robbery-extortion, usurpation of authority, grave threat and violation of the antifixer law, Republic Act 9485.

The suspects were arrested by agents of the Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) Criminal Investigation Section during an entrapment in a restaurant in Barangay South Triangle on Saturday at around 11:15 a.m.

QCPD director Brig Gen. Danilo Macerin said the entrapment stemmed from the complaint of contractor Augusto Caesar Foronda, who told probers the suspects offered to facilitate city government contracts to sidestep the bidding process.

Foronda said when he became suspicious, De Luna threatened to kill him and blacklist his company in any government projects.

Foronda agreed to give P5.35 million or 1.75 percent of the total contract price to the suspects and acceded to shell out another P5 million the following day.

The victim then sought the help of police for an entrapment operation.

The suspects were arrested after they accepted the marked money from Foronda.

A background check on the suspects revealed they are not employees of the city government.

Belmonte yesterday reiterated her warning against fixers at the city hall.

“To all the fixers and other individuals conducting illegal activities in our city, you better get out because you do not have any place in our city,” she said in Filipino.

“With the help of the QCPD, your world will shrink and you will surely land in jail,” she added.