The Bangko Central ng Pilipinas has confirmed that 16 bills worth P8,000 endorsed by the Bacolod City Police for verification are fake.
“The notes enumerated, which were submitted by Police Staff Sgt. John Mark Ardiente, investigator of Bacolod City Police Office – Police Station 6, for verification, are declared counterfeit,” BSP Bacolod branch acting manager Abraham Serantes said in a temporary certification.
The sixteen P500 bills submitted by the police to the BSP for verification bore four similar serial numbers.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Friday night, July 19, warned the public against the circulation of fake money.
Benitez, in a post on his Facebook page, said a wallet was found at the Libertad Public Market Friday and when the market supervisor opened it she found that it contained fake P500 bills.
Market supervisor Theresa Robles said a market cleaner endorsed the wallet found on Friday morning to her that contained the fake P500 bills.
A lot of vendors had complained that they were paid with fake bills, Robles said.
The police are closely monitoring the situation to prevent more people from being victimized, Benitez said.
He urged those who may have been victimized to file blotter reports to aid the police in their investigation.*