A 39-year-old who pretended to be a New People’s Army (NPA) member was arrested by the authorities early this week in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya for allegedly extorting money from an entrepreneur.
Romuel Salmos, a resident of Bayombong town, allegedly tried to extort at least PHP60,000 (US$1,232) in revolutionary taxes from a businesswoman. Salmos also allegedly asked the woman to accompany him to a hotel.
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Businesses, mostly located in rural areas, are often forced to pay revolutionary taxes by communist rebels. The amount is supposedly used to fund the rebels’ community projects but businesses who fail to pay them are often subjected to attacks by the NPA.
Seized from the suspect were 60 pieces of PHP1,000 (US$20.54) bills and 15 sachets of suspected meth. He will be charged for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and robbery through extortion.
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