CABANATUAN CITY – A senior village councilor and wife of the incumbent barangay chair was arrested by police operatives after she allegedly offered policemen from the provincial intelligence and investigation branch P50,000 in exchange for the release of her nephew who was reportedly arrested for illegal gun possession Friday night.
Senior Supt. Walter Castillejos, provincial police director, said Coun. Annie Pascual, of Barangay Camp Tinio, was arrested by SPO2 Ramil Cruz when she allegedly insisted the money apparently to clear a certain Armando Lucido, Jr., of charges.
Pascual is wife of Barangay Chairman Roger Pascual whose house was shot several times by still unidentified suspects a couple of weeks ago. He is an active campaigner for the conversation of Cabanatuan as highly urbanized city.
Supt. Peter Naboye, PIB chief, said Lucido, 29, was arrested at about 4 p.m. on Friday in a check-point set up by Zaragoza town police and PIB operatives on a tip off from an informant in Pampanga that his group left the province with a firearm.
“He was caught by elements of PIB in plain view carrying one Colt M-16 rifle, two magazines, one short and one long, with 20 and 30 live ammunitions respectively,” Naboye reported.
Failing to present pertinent papers, Naboye said, Lucido was brought to the PIB office at the provincial headquarters here.
In the middle of the investigation, Pascual who reportedly arrived with a sister, “negotiated for the release of her nephew and not to file any case against him since he was just on bail for violation of Section 11, Art II of RA 9165 filed by the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office,” a report from the PIB showed.
Lucido was on bail for illegal possession of drugs charges prior to his arrest Friday.
“Ms Annie Pascual took a bundle of money from her bag and put it on top of the table and told the police investigator to take the money placed in a white long envelope and just release Armando Lucido,” said the report.
“The investigator politely refused the offer but Ms Annie Pascual insisted prompting the investigator to stand up and arrest Ms Pascual,” it added.
Naboye said charges of violation of Art 212 of Revised Penal Code of corruption of public officials are being prepared against Pascual who was rushed to the nearby Good Samaritan Hospital after she suffered hypertension.
