THE National Bureau of Investigation–Olongapo District Office (NBI-OLDO), in coordination with the NBI Special Task Force (NBI-STF) and under the supervision of NBI Director Judge Jaime B. Santiago (Ret.), arrested six individuals involved in a conspiracy to manipulate voting machines to ensure the victory of a mayoral candidate.
The arrested suspects were identified as Roland Ucab y Bayson, Teody Abalos y Almazan, Joseph Ong y Gamao, Cherrylyn Adriano y Umlas, Ralp Edward Salas y De Luna, and Francis James Mapua y Lascano.
The operation originated from a referral by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), following a report by Iba, Zambales mayoral candidate Atty. Genaro N. Montefalcon. In April 2025, Atty. Montefalcon was approached by suspects Abalos and Adriano, who claimed they had insider access within the COMELEC and could guarantee his victory in the upcoming May 12 elections by manipulating the Automated Counting Machines—for a fee of P30 million.
Abalos further asserted familial ties to political figures, claiming to be the nephew of senator-candidate Benhur Abalos and grandson of former COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos, in an attempt to bolster credibility.
Doubtful of their claims, Atty. Montefalcon reported the incident to COMELEC, providing screenshots of their conversations. The Commission immediately referred the case to NBI-OLDO, which then coordinated with the NBI-STF to launch an entrapment operation.
On May 8, 2025, Atty. Montefalcon met the suspects at a hotel in Quezon City, under the guise of accepting their proposal. During the meeting, the suspects reiterated their demand of P30 million for the rigged victory, requesting an initial payment of P15 million.
Adriano, Abalos, and Ong met Montefalcon and undercover agents in the hotel lobby, while Ucab, Salas, and Mapua conducted the transaction inside a hotel room. Upon the handover of marked money, operatives moved in and arrested all six suspects.
The accused were informed of their constitutional rights and underwent standard booking procedures at the NBI-STF Office. They face charges of Estafa (Article 315, Revised Penal Code), Usurpation of Authority (Article 177, Revised Penal Code), and violation of Section 28 of Republic Act No. 9369, also known as the Automated Election System Law.
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