MALOLOS CITY – An office staff-aide of a controversial city councilor here was caught in flagrante delicto by combined elements of Malolos and Paombong police operatives inside a motel for a ‘sex-tortion’ attempt on a city hall employee.
In a spot report sent to the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office in Camp Gen. Alejo S. Santos, Supt. Henryl L. Bruno, Malolos City police chief, identified the arrested suspect as Brian Jeffrey Castro y Mendiola, 30, single, a resident of Centro – Barangay Balayong, Malolos City.
Castro is reportedly a cityhall employee, assigned at the office of City Councilor Atty. Christian Peter ‘Toots’ Bautista, and a brother of a barangay Kagawad (councilman) of Brgy. Balayong.
MetroNEWS sources said Brian was the ex-boyfriend of the victim, Weng (not her real name), 38, of Barangay Caingin, Malolos City. She is said to be pretty and works as a front-line staff in an office somewhere at the 3rd Floor of the City Hall building.
In spite of their break-up, however, Brian can’t seem to move on and keeps fantasy on their past tryst, although Weng was now happily settled and living with a new lover, and with one kid now.
Sources said the ex-lover was often seen day-dreaming (Nganga mode) of a ‘last hurrah’ and seemed bent to carry out his appeal to his babe: “Last na ‘to please”.
Last Sunday, Aug. 27, Weng received a text message from Brian asking her to meet him at the ABC Lodge in Paombong, Bulacan. Brian threatened that if she will not oblige on their last sex trip, “he will spread their sex video in social media.”
Alarmed and fearful, Weng sought the help of her sister, Fragrance Cruz, 31, a resident of Moldex Residences in Valenzuela, Metro Manila. The sisters sought the help of the Malolos police who immediately planned the trap for Brian.
A source said when the police operatives got the signal text from Weng, Brian pants was already down.
After his arrest, Brian was whisked to the Malolos jail where he was locked up and interrogated pending the filing of criminal complaints before the court.
PO1 April Rose Marcelino of the Malolos WCPD handled the investigation of the case.
Brian was charged of violating Republic Act No. 9262 known as “Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004” and Republic Act No. 9995 known as “Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009”.
Brian’s boss, Councilor Atty. ‘Toots’ Bautista, is facing a criminal case for Estafa before the Regional Trial Court (Branch 19) with a cohort, Leonita C. Cruz, docketed as Criminal Case No. 3732-M-2016. The duo is charged of conspiring to defraud the wife of a Japanese national of some P3.2-Million as defined under Articles 315 paragraph 2 (a) of the Revised Penal Code.
RTC-Branch 19 Judge Francisco P. Felizmenio has set for October 5, 2017 the pre-trial of the case. Councilor Bautista entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ during his arraignment last April 20. His co-accused Cruz, who filed a belated bail bond for her provisional release, was arraigned last June 29. She also pleaded ‘not guilty’.
The duo were issued a warrant of arrest last July 20, 2016. Teresita Hirakawa, the complainant, is a resident of Barangay Caingin, Malolos but is now based in Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She said she will prosecute to the hilt the estafa case against Atty. Bautista to recover her hard-earn money. She also vowed to file a disbarment case against the city councilor after the criminal case is over. – Orlan L. Mauricio