TACLOBAN CITY- A former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Leyte chapter has filed a complaint of usurpation of authority against a man who used his name as he introduced himself as a lawyer.
Atty. Leo Giron, who served as IBP-Leyte chapter president from 2017-2019, said that he filed the complaint against ‘Atty.’Donald Gapol for him to stop his illegal activities in duping innocent civilians.
Giron filed the case against Gapol, who is also using the names as ‘Donald Custodio,’ ‘Ronald Veloso,’ and ‘Leo Giron,’ before the City Prosecutor’s Office on July 3.
Gapol, who had his ‘law office’ addressed in Burauen town, Leyte, was earlier arrested by the members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on June 20 in an entrapment operations here in Tacloban as one of his victims sought help from them.
The suspect is currently detained at the detention facility of the NBI-8, this city.
“I have to file a complaint against this man so his nefarious activities will come to its end. He is duping innocent and helpless people,” Giron said.
Giron said that based on an information he gathered, the victim has been doing his illegal activities for more than 10 years now.
Aside from usurpation of authority, Giron also filed a case of falsification by private individual and use of falsified document under Articles 172 and 177 of the Revised Penal Code, respectively.
A separate similar complaints with addition of estafa were also filed by Alexander Pedrigal, his sons Lexton and Winson and daughter Maribeth, residents of San Jose, this city.
Alexander, a retired police officer, represented him on a complaint he filed against the Air Materiel Wing Savings and Loan Association,Inc.(AMWSLAI) for collection of money while his children for the promised jobs at the Bulwagan ng Katarungan as the faked lawyer demanded sum of money from them.
The suspect, declined to be interviewed.
(JOEY A.GABIETA)
