The "balikbayan" who reported a robbery at the Bacolod Reclamation area Wednesday morning, finally admitted to the Bacolod police that the incident was a hoax and that she only made it up to draw public sympathy after she reportedly squandered money that she had borrowed.

Insp. Levy Pangue, Police Precinct 2 commander told the DAILY STAR that in a heart-to-heart talk with Marlyn Reyes Saniel, 33, who had also identified herself earlier as "Marlyn Bahian Saniel and Myca Bahin Kintanar", personally admitted to him that she had not been held up by two unidentified persons at knifepoint Wednesday morning as she had claimed.

Pangue said Saniel was not a "balikbayan" as she also claimed, and not a bank teller working at the Bank of America at San Diego, California U.S.A., either.

He said Saniel told him her family, who lives in Cebu City, drove her away and this forced her to borrow P20,000 from her boyfriend, who is staying in Baguio City. He said Saniel told him she had lived in Olongapo City with another boyfriend who also left her.

Saniel said she used the money traveling from one place to another until she met Armina Abu Bakar, 20, a fresh graduate with a Bachelor in Computer Science degree who joined her after being promised a job.

Pangue said he later found out that Saniel and Abu Bakar were not cousins as they had also claimed.

Saniel said she invented the "hold-up scenario" to draw sympathy from people who might help her by giving her money.

Pangue said Saniel told him she and Abu Bakar traveled from Boracay Island to Iloilo City and were set to sail to Manila City this week, but they had no money for fare.

Bacolod City police director Senior Supt. Pedro Merced yesterday, said they have filed charges of perjury, use of fictitious name, concealment of her true name, and incriminating an innocent person against Saniel.*DMG

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