BAGUIO CITY – Two notorious franchise fixers of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) were successively arrested by combined police operatives and detectives during a manhunt operation in Quezon City Monday.
Senior Superintendent Jimmy Catanes, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit – North Central Luzon, identified the arrested franchise fixers as Marietta Gallardo Manipon alias Marietta Manipon Andres and Karren Francisco Carreon .
Manipon was arrested inside the Prince Gregory Hotel, barangay Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City, by virtue of a warrant issued by Judge Rosemarie R. Molina of the city’s Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 for estafa with a recommended bail of P200,000 for her temporary liberty while Carreon was collared at 9th Ave, P Tuazon St, Cubao, Quezon City by virtue of a warrant issued by Judge Maria Ligaya V. Itliong-Rivera of the city’s RTC Branch 5 for estafa.
Carreon and Manipon are listed as No. 7 and No. 9 in the list of most wanted persons, respectively, by the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) for the second quarter of this year.
Manipon and Carreon are notorious fixers operating at LTO and LTFRB office, all located at Polo Field, Pacdal, Baguio City.
The case against Manipon stemmed from the complaints of Orlando S. Willy, Sr. and Jeffrey A. Panilo both from La Trinidad, Benguet whom she defrauded a total of P 280,000.00 as payment for a Taxi Franchise sometime in December 2012.
For Carreon her case emanated from the complaint of Spouses Roberto and Dominga M. Busilan from Itogon, Benguet whom she duped them to give her the amount of P 1,300,000.00 as payment for a Taxi Franchise with Brand New Taxi Unit (Isuzu Crosswind) sometime in July
- After almost two months, she entered another transaction with Carlo A. Mendoza from Baguio City whom she divested the amount of P 630,000.00 as payment for the processing and securing additional two (2) Taxi Franchises for two (2) brand new Toyota Innova sometime in September 2013.
The arrested notorious fixers were subsequently turned over to the courts that issued their warrants for their proper disposition.
Catanes called on individuals who were duped by the two notorious fixers to visit their office in order to facilitate the filing of additional cases against them in order to teach them the lessons that it is difficult for them to simply divest innocent individuals of their hard earned money that end up in the air.
He said individuals wanting to own franchises of taxis, jeeps, garage vans and buses must get in touch with LTO and LTFRB officials and not to individuals who present themselves as fixers in order to guarantee that they will be buying legitimate franchises and that the same will be processed appropriately and released directly to them once the procedures shall have been completed.
By Dexter A. See
