BACOLOD CITY – The National Bureau of Investigation-Bacolod arrested a 25-year-old graphics artist for printing fake business permits in an entrapment operation in a shopping mall here on Saturday, February 3.
A GRAPHIC artist prints a fake business permit during an entrapment operation in Bacolod City on February 3. (Bacolod City PIO FB)
The operation stemmed from the complaint of a business owner through the “Isugid Kay Mayor” radio program here after he found out during the renewal of his business permit this year that his business permit in 2023 was fake despite paying for its renewal and penalties last year.
The city government presented a video of the entrapment operation during a press briefing at the Mayor’s Office of the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on Monday, February 5.
Based on the video, the complainant said that he entrusted the processing of the renewal of his business permit last year to a friend who had worked in the city.
But when his staff processed the renewal of the permit this year, they discovered that their permit last year was fake.
When they reached out to the person who helped them last year, they were referred to a person in a portrait shop at the downtown area.
From there, authorities were able to conduct a surveillance to verify the report about the printing of fake business permit.
An asset transacted with an employee of portrait shop for a business permit. Based on their conversation in the video, the employee told the asset that permits printed in an ordinary paper costs P1,000 and additional P300 if it is printed in a special paper.
It was also shown in the video that they have a layout of the permit and they just edit some details.
However, the first entrapment operation failed after the owner sensed the surveillance.
The NBI launched another entrapment operation after the employee still transacted with the asset outside the shop, paving the way for his apprehension over the weekend.
The suspect, who is from Talisay City, Negros Occidental, said that he was originally hired as a computer graphics artist and has been working in the shop for three years.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said the suspect may face charges for falsification of documents.
Ting said that the portrait shop owner had been arrested for the same offense and is currently on probation. He said the shop owner may be charged for conspiracy for the latest incident.
Following this development, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez warned individuals who commit illegal activities such as the issuance of fake business permits that the city will go after them.
Benitez believed that this kind of illegal activity is not just perpetrated by one or two persons and they might be syndicated.
The mayor said that this was somehow glaring and are not scared. They don’t know that this is a serious charge, he added.
He, however, refused to give all details pending the investigation.
Benitez appealed to business owners to scan the QR code of their business permits to ensure its authenticity.
Business owners can process their permits at the BCGC, the Business Online One-Stop Shop (BOSS) at SM City Bacolod, and Ayala Malls Capitol Central until February 15.