A man who claimed he could lead authorities to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has instead landed in custody, arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation in what officials describe as an attempt to swindle ranking government figures.
The suspect first surfaced when he contacted Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, offering to reveal where the senator was hiding. Recto routed him to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, whose agency is part of the government effort to locate Dela Rosa. The senator is wanted over crimes-against-humanity charges lodged at the International Criminal Court.
According to Matibag, the man initially seemed convincing, casting himself as a parent caring for a sick child and asserting a connection to former governor Luis “Chavit” Singson.
“In our first talk, (the man) appeared to be believable because he portrayed himself as a father taking care of his sick child. He claims, based maybe on what he read from the news, to be working for (former) governor Chavit (Singson),” the director said at a briefing on Friday.
Persuaded by that account, Matibag sent P10,000 to cover the supposed medical bills. But the demands quickly grew, leading him to suspect a scam and to alert his agents.
“After I sent the money, he was asking for larger amounts. I was setting him up to meet with me, but he might have noticed that. He suddenly vanished,” Matibag said.
Operatives from the NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crimes Division eventually tracked the man to a condominium unit in Novaliches, Quezon City, arresting him on May 19. Several sachets of shabu were seized during the operation.
Records also showed the suspect was already wanted in Isabela on an outstanding estafa warrant.
What unsettled the NBI most was the man’s access to the phone numbers of several high-ranking officials — contacts Matibag warned could be exploited amid the current political situation to extort money.
“Let this be a warning to the people who give false leads about Senator Bato’s whereabouts or other fugitives of justice. Think twice because we will make sure you’ll be held accountable under the law. You will be arrested,” Matibag said.
