NBI files falsification of documents case vs 3 dismissed DOJ workers

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed a case of falsification against three employees of the Department of Justice (DOJ) who were summarily sacked last Thursday.

The NBI filed the charges before the DOJ on Saturday, according to Undersecretary Erickson Balmes, the supervisor of two of the three dismissed employees.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II readily dismissed the employees on Thursday after drawing from them an admission that they had scammed six Chinese nationals who were seeking a visa from the Bureau of Immigration.

Aguirre said Cyruz Morata, Abvic Ryan Maghirang, and Shigred Erigbuagas admitted that in exchange for “large sums of money” they made it appear that they were processing immigration visas for the six Chinese nationals.

Aguirre said the three employees forged a letter with Balmes’s signature dated Dec. 18, 2017 to make it appear that they had filed the visa applications.

Morata was a contractual – or “job order” – employee, while Maghirang and Erigbuagas served as Balmes’s executive assistant and administrative aide, respectively.

Balmes said the NBI filed a case of falsification of official documents by a government employee.

Under the Revised Penal Code, the offense carries a penalty of six to 12 years and a fine of not more than P5,000. /atm