MANILA, Philippines — Criminal complaints were filed against three people who were arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) complimentary movie tickets in Quezon City, an official said yesterday.
Police filed charges of estafa through falsification of public documents in relation to Republic Act 10175, or the cybercrime prevention law, before the office of the city prosecutor against Daniel Javines, Myke Miggyl Morales and Bernardo Mabasa.
The suspects were collared during an entrapment operation initiated by operatives of the Quezon City Police District’s special operations unit in Barangay Escopa I at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
DSOU chief Maj. Wilfredo Taran said the operation stemmed from a complaint of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) about the illegal sale of complimentary tickets for the MMFF.
Taran said the MMDA conducted a test buy wherein the suspects sold a ticket for P1,500.
Acting on the information, the police special operations unit launched a sting to catch the suspects.
“Through an operative, we bought five tickets,” Taran told reporters in an interview yesterday.
Forty-six counterfeit tickets were seized from the suspects, who were selling these for P500 to P1,500 each, he added.
Based on their investigation, Taran said the suspects have cohorts in the MMDA and a printing press company where the tickets were produced.
Taran said the counterfeit tickets have the same security features as the genuine ones.
He noted that it would take a scanner to tell the difference.
He urged people not to fall for the scheme, stressing that complimentary tickets are not for sale.