NBI-7 files charges vs man, mother-in-law for falsifying public documents in land claim

The NBI-CEBDO led by Agent-in-Charge Arnel Pura (middle) and Senior Agent Niño Rodriguez (left), with Acting Assistant City Assessor Julius Ceasar Entise (right), conducted a press conference on Thursday, October 27, 2022, regarding the multiple cases the NBI-7 filed against claimants of the city’s property in Barangay Paknaan.

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation Central Visayas (NBI 7) Cebu District Office has charged a claimant and his mother-in-law for allegedly falsifying documents to prove possession of land in Barangay Paknaan here.

The NBI charged Raul Villacarlos Canoy and his mother-in-law Socorro C. Bitoon, a.k.a. Socorro Bitoon-Narvasa with multiple cases of falsification of public documents.

Agent-in-Charge Arnel Pura said that the documents that were submitted by said individuals were fake.

These include an original certificate of title, tax declarations, deed of absolute sale, transfer certificate of title, survey records, Land Registration Authority Report, and an Environmental Compliance Certificate.

The NBI-CEBDO on Thursday, October 27, 2022, revealed this during a press conference led by Agent-in-Charge Arnel Pura and Senior Agent Niño Rodriguez, with Acting Assistant City Assessor Julius Ceasar Entise at their office in Mandaue City.

Entise said Canoy, who bought the land from Bitoon, used the documents in his transactions with the barangay, City Assessor’s Office, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, among others.

Canoy is claiming close to 45 hectares or about 448, 498 square meters of timberland in Barangay Paknaan which is also claimed by the city government as its property under Republic Act 5519 or the Charter of Mandaue City.

Canoy and Bitoon were charged with eight counts of Falsification by Private Individual and Use of Public Documents as defined and penalized under Article 172 in relation to Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code before the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office and another nine counts of the same charges by the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.

It can be recalled that Canoy had been a subject of a warrantless arrest last April 6 for allegedly presenting falsified documents during the NBI’s investigation.

Entise said that other than Canoy and Bitoon, the city is also filing cases against other claimants of the city’s property.    /rcg

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