AGENTS of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Monday afternoon arrested a group of IT specialists accused of offering to help a mayoral and vice-mayoral candidate in Enrile, Cagayan to win in the May 12 local elections with the help of their partners in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in exchange for P90 million, a report to PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil said.

PNP-CIDG director Brig. Gen. Nicolas D. Torre III said three suspects were arrested following a complaint from Enrile, Cagayan mayoral candidate Robert Turingan,73; and his daughter-running mate Karen Kaye,41.

The PNP-CIDG director said their investigation showed that the suspects introduced themselves to the two candidates as Information Technology or IT specialists who, thru their “Comelec connections” have access to the automated result of the May 12 polls.

The suspects assured the two Cagayan candidates they can assure their victory in the May 12 polls if they can give them P90 million. The offer prompted the two bets to seek the help of the PNP-CIDG in arresting the suspects.

“The suspects, introduced themselves as group of IT specialists connected with the Commission on Election who have access with the automated result of the election to be facilitated by the Comelec,” a CIDG National Capital Region Field Unit report said.

It turned out that the complainants have served as mayor and vice mayor in Enrile municipality for a period of 27 years but lost their bid twice, the last one in 2022 after they reportedly refused to accept the offer of the group.

Torre said that the two candidates and some of the suspects agreed to meet inside a bread store at SM City Marikina where undercover CIDG-NCRFU officers were posted.

The arrests were made around 4:30 p.m. Monday after a pre-arranged signal was made by one of the complainants indicating that the marked money has been received by the suspects.

The PNP-CIDG director identified the arrested suspects as Bernard Baysic, Donnie Ray Belles and Ronald Rey Alladin. Still being hunted are Hermano Viscarra, Julio Vinluan, Rodeny Alladin and Wilfredo Jimenez.

Baysic was described as the secretary and treasurer of 3B Technologies Solution Inc. with office in United Hills Village, Parañaque City while Viscarra, Alladin and Jimenez were reported to be incorporators and the others were employees of the same company.

Torre said that the suspects who remained at-large cut off their communications with Baysic when they apparently sensed the ongoing operation following the delayed bank transaction.

He said that recovered from the arrested suspects were the entrapment money topped by a marked P1,000 bill and their identification cards and mobile phones which will be subjected to a forensic examination.

A Toyota Innova with plate no. NIC 1704 belonging to the suspects was impounded by the CIDG-NCRFU.

Torre said the suspects will be facing criminal charges for robbery with intimidation or violence and robbery-extortion under the Revised Penal Code in relation to Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and the Omnibus Election Code.

Their arrest came as the Comelec warned candidates to be wary of individuals/groups who will approach and tell they can be sure winners in the May 12 election if they will accede to their monetary demands, which runs to tens of millions of pesos.

The Comelec leadership said the con artists will claim they have connections in the Comelec and its IT servers and could fix the result of any polls provided money will change hands, part of them going to the pockets of some poll officials.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon