An aide of Aklan 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. and two other persons have been charged before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly financing the terrorist group Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Named respondents were Haresco's aide Benjie Tocol, Rosanna Inaudito, and Jose Edwin Guillen.
The complaint-affidavit for alleged violation of Section 8(ii) of Republic Act No. 10168, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (TFPSA), was filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
“Respondents have conspired and mutually helped each other in the commission of the crime. There is unit of purpose manifested by their acts of having provided and made available to a designated organization any property or funds of financial services or other related services to the CPP-NPA, a designated and/or identified person, organization, association or group of persons,” the complaint-affidavit stated.
It alleged that Tocol gave “groceries and cash money to Jose Edwin alias Ruben Lorca/Arsen/Dagul through Brince Gegodas sometime in the second week of April 2023 at the Ceres Terminal in Kalibo, Aklan.”
It claimed that Tocol and Guillen conspired “to collect money through extortion with the intent that the money would be used to support the NPA organization last June 27, 2023 at Barangay Calangcang, Makato, Aklan.”
The case was filed after NPA member Brince Gegodas was convicted last Sept. 2 for violating Sec. 6 of the TFPSA and rebellion under Article 135(2) of Revised Penal Code (RPC) following the court’s approval of the plea bargaining deal he made with the prosecution.
Gegodas was arrested during an entrapment operation on June 27, 2023 that was conducted by the PNP and the Philippine Army in Makato, Aklan for trying to extort P1.5 million contractor Engr. Nestor Victor Gonzales Rodriguez in exchange for not disrupting his projects.
The complaint-affidavit stated that “Gegodas reached out to authorities conveying that he will identify those who ordered and instructed him to pick up the money from Engineer Rodriguez’s representative.”
“In said affidavit, Gegodas recounted how Benjie and alias Ruben Lorca/Dagul/Arsen instructed him on getting the money they demanded from their victim,” the complaint-affidavit also stated.
At the same time, the complaint stated that Gegodas also offered his confiscated three mobile phones for examination and to show his communications with Tocol.
“On Engineer Rodriguez’s affidavit he stated that he knew the number 096364242003 belongs to Benjie Tocol as the same had been used by Tocol multiple times in contacting Engineer Rodriguez,” it added.
During the investigation, the counter-affidavit stated it was also discovered that Tocol was found aboard his black Toyota Hilux on June 27, 2023 within the “cordoned” area where the entrapment operation against Gegodas took place.
However, at that time, Tocol was allowed by the police to leave the area since he has not yet been suspected to be involved in the extortion attempt, it also stated.