News
5 charged for selling fake gold bar
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05/28/2008 CEBU CITY, Philippines – All that glitters is not gold. This line from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, written 500 years ago, proved to be an expensive lesson for an antique buyer in Barangay (village) Lahug, Cebu City, who gave a downpayment of P60,000 for a gold bar said to be worth P500,000. Dominador Villanueva, 66, of Salinas Drive, Lahug, said that he was swindled by Merlin Bontilao, Fredo Dison, Mario Dison and Sammy Roxas, all from Villaba, Leyte, into buying a gold bar which turned out to be fake. Villanueva said the four dealers offered to sell him the gold bar in February 2007 for “a very low price.” Eager to make a profit, Villanueva went to Leyte and negotiated with Roxas and the two Disons where he gave P10,000 as advance payment. Villanueva went to Villaba a second time and asked to slice a little piece of the gold bar to have it tested in a pawnshop. The test showed that the gold sample was genuine, prompting Villanueva to give another P10,000. He returned to Cebu and had the sample tested in another pawnshop, which came up with the same findings. Villanueva went to Villaba and gave another P40,000. He brought the gold bar with him, with the agreement that he would pay the balance on February 27, 2007 in Cebu City. But he wanted a third test — this time on the gold bar itself. It was found to be a fake, with only its surface plated with gold. “I was dismayed and shocked to learn that the gold bar was fake,” Villanueva said. He returned to Leyte to confront the respondents but the suspects could no longer be found. Villanueva then filed a complaint with the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office, who filed estafa (swindling) charges against the four accused, along with a certain Josephine Antikera. Bail was recommended at P40,000 for each of the suspects. |