‘Rent-sangla’ alleged mastermind seeks dismissal of case

The alleged mastermind of the “rent-sangla” scheme has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to dismiss the complaint filed against her.

Rafaela Montes Anunciacion submitted her counter-affidavit in response to the second set of complaint submitted by the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG).

The second set of complaint contains testimonies of 18 more victims.

The case is for swindling and syndicated estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree 1689.

There are a total of 47 complainants, 29 of which belong to the first batch.

In her counter-affidavit, Anunciacion said that her rent-car business is legitimate and not a scam as tagged by authorities, citing “so many satisfied customers or clients to boot and nobody to rock the boat so to speak.”

Anunciacion argued that the complaints are “bereft of any allegation of fraud or deceit which are the essential elements of that offense (estafa)” as she blamed “rumors” fed by her erring agents to their clients as the cause of the charges.

Anunciacion said her business only started last February “when some rouge agents through whom I entrusted payments earmarked for my clients, the car owners, feloniously pocketed the money in the millions and thus failed to reach the intended recipients.”

The investigating DOJ panel chaired by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rosanne Balauag set the next hearing on April 17, Monday, for filing of answers of the other respondents, namely Tychicus Nambia, Sabina Torrea, Eliseo Cortez, Eleanor Constantino, Marilou Cruz, Jhennelyn Berroya, Ana Borlon and Lea Rosales.

The other members of the panel are SASP Rex Gingoyon; Reyes, Rodan Parrocha, Bryan Jacinto Cacha Jr., Anna Noreen Devanadera, Jovyanne Escaño-Santamaria and Assistant Prosecution lawyers Wendell Bendoval, Joan Garcia and Marc Eico Tariga.

Last March 29, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also filed charges of syndicated estafa, large scale syndicated estafa and carnapping against Anunciacion, Cauyan, Cortez, Torrea and Spouses Bienvenido Cruz and Marilou Vera Cruz.

In its complaint affidavit, NBI stated that Anunciacion led the group to the scheme to defraud the car owners by getting money from them.

This is the second case filed against the respondents after the PNP-HPG filed the case from the complainants and several sets of victims of the alleged scam from Bulacan, Laguna, Angeles City, Batangas and Nueva Ecija.

Balauag earlier said that they will consolidated the complaints together with the PNP.

Under the scheme, authorities said the suspects would convince car owners to become business associates in a rent-a-car service and have their cars rented for a hefty profit.

At first, the car owners will get paid but, unknowingly, in the end their vehicles will be pawned to other people and the suspects will disappear, making the victims unable to get their rented vehicles back.