National Bureau of Investigation agents apprehended the former head of the Negros Occidental General Services Office in an entrapment operation and filed a complaint against her before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Bacolod for alleged “swindling” through misrepresentation, NBI Bacolod Chief Renoir Baldovino said Wednesday, April 19.
The NBI complaint against Lucille Chavez Pines for Violation of Article 315 – Swindling (Estafa) of the Revised Penal Code as amended by Republic Act 9287 was filed Tuesday, he said.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor Elnathan Lim in his inquest resolution Tuesday, April 18, converted the complaint against Pines into a regular preliminary investigation and ordered her release from NBI detention.
Pines was ordered to file her counter-affidavit and other countervailing statements within ten 10 days.
She will answer the NBI complaint in the right time and forum, Pines told DIGICAST NEGROS when asked for her side.
The NBI on March 30 received a request for investigative assistance against Pines who allegedly said she represented Sheen Consumers Cooperative that won in the public bidding for supply of various materials for the province of Negros Occidental, the complaint filed before the prosecutor’s office said.
Pines allegedly told the complainant that she had several Purchase Orders (POs) in the name of Sheen Consumers Cooperative for supply of various materials amounting to millions of pesos and that her coop was looking for financiers in order for them to supply the materials so that they can be paid by the province, it added.
She allegedly offered between 3 to 8 percent interest to convince complainants to dole out money to her for financing the POs, the complaint said.
Later Pines informed complainants that she was with the Homemakers Enterprising Association of Negros Occidental (HEANO) with office at Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, it said.
Sometime in the last week of March 2023 Pines sent a text message to one of the complainants that she had a PO from DepEd San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, as she was no longer connected with the provincial government, Baldovino said.
Pines kept asking the complainants for financiers for the PO from DepEd San Carlos City.
The Department of Education Schools Division of San Carlos City issued a Certification dated April 11 that the Homemakers Enterprising Association of Negros Occidental or a certain Lucille Chaves Pines had no transaction or dealings with the office as a supplier or contractor, and was not authorized by the Division to accept money from financiers for projects and supplies, Baldovino said.
Based on these facts an entrapment operation was planned in order to catch Pines en flagrante receiving marked money for financing of the purported PO from DepEd San Carlos City, he added.
The entrapment was conducted at Bangga Rose Lawns on Monday, April 17, wherein P150,000 in real and boodle money was turned over to Pines to cover the amount of the PO after which she was arrested by NBI operatives, Baldovino said.
There are about 12 persons, most of whom are businessmen, who have complained against Pines. The complaints involve the alleged amount of P30 million to finance POs for office supplies, Baldovino said.
The NBI is readying more charges to be filed against Pines before the prosecutor’s office, he said.*