The suspected “budol-budol” member arrested in Bacolod City, Thursday, claimed he was hoping to use the real money he could get from his fake bills for the operation of his younger sister who has cancer.

However, counterfeiting charges were lodged by the police yesterday against Jimmy Bermudo, 31, of Purok 3, Brgy. Chito, Kidapawan City, in North Cotabato province, who claimed he needed the real money he planned to exchange for 69 pieces of fake P1,000 bills seized from him for hospital bills.

Police Station 1 commander, Chief Inspector Noel Manaay, said charges for violation of Article 168 of the Revised Penal Code or the illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and other instruments of credit were filed against Bermudo at the City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.

Bermudo was nabbed by security guards led by Laurencio Bertusio, and police officers near the Centroplex Mall after allegedly trying to swap a fake P1,000 bill with a female customer at the commercial center’s food court, at about 4 p.m. Thursday.

However, the woman, who is from E.B. Magalona town, Negros Occidental, was warned by store attendants, who had seen Bermudo deal with her and they told her that the money may be fake.

Bermudo said he had bought the fake notes from a man in Kidapawan City for P3,000 before he went to Bacolod for vacation. He also claimed it was the first time that he tried to use one of the fake bills.

Manaay said the Bangko Sentral Bacolod office had certified that the bills were fake.

The notes shown to reporters yesterday, were crisp and had the features of real Philippine currency except that they have the same serial numbers (IF435910) and did not have security feature found in genuine bills.

Manaay said that with the sophistication of the counterfeiters, the bills could have easily passed unnoticed in business establishments that do not have ultra violet light-equipped machines used to detect fake money.*PP

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