Three charged for duping Cebu resident of P15M

The National Bureau of Investigation NBI yesterday filed charges of syndicated estafa against three persons who were arrested after they allegedly duped a Cebu City resident to part with her P15 million in exchange for an “imaginary” lot.

Jaquiline Guerrero, Arthur Pigon, and Fe Pigon were brought to the Cebu City Prosecutors’ Office for the inquest proceedings, a mandatory process following an arrest.

They, however, chose not to submit any counter-affidavit or evidence to refute the allegations.

This prompted Assistant City Prosecutor Rhodna Alcala-Bacatan to elevate the case against the respondents before the Regional Trial Court.

The respondents were arrested by the NBI agents  in an entrapment operation led by supervising agent Rennan Augustus Oliva last Friday.

In an interview, Oliva said Guerrero of Agono town in Rizal pocketed a total of P15 million from Guillerma Lim who was made to believe that she has a lot to assume in Tacloban City.

Lim said Guerrero sought large amounts of money from her in a span of almost three years for the processing of documents, real estate taxes, attorney’s fees and other expenses—all of which turned out to be “imaginary.”

inherited property

In her sworn-affidavit, Lim said she was told by Guerrero about an inherited lot   from her grandmother.

Guerrero told Lim that the lot was occupied by a company.

Lim believed that the company’s ownership of the lot was questionable.

She then executed a Special Power of Attorney in favor of Guerrero to represent her in court litigations.

Lim, a resident of barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, was made to believe that a complaint was filed against the company in Manila.

To justify her demand for more money, Guerrero showed Lim a Conditional Sale entered into with a certain Jose Ma. Gonzalez who was purportedly interested in buying the lot from the company.

Lim’s niece later discovered that the property in Tacloban City did not belong to them.

When Guerrero demanded another P500,000, Lim decided to seek the assistance of the NBI-7.

Last Friday, Guerrero and her two supposed cohorts were arrested by the NBI-7./ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL