The police yesterday warned the public, especially small businessmen, to be vigilant over the proliferation of fake money in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental with the MassKara Festival and elections approaching.

Senior Insp. Dianne Grace Catedral, Bacolod Police spokesperson, said yesterday that, so far, there have been no reports of the circulation of counterfeit money in Bacolod, but it is not impossible that this will happen.

On Friday, the La Castellaña Police Station intercepted P30,000 worth of fake bills from William Uy, 56, of Bacolod City, and his son, 17, a police report said.

Uy reportedly bought groceries from a store in La Catellana using two P1,000 bills, suspected to be counterfeit.

Senior Insp. Jerry Nacion, La Castellana Police chief, reported that Uy and his son tried to escape by riding a Honda Civic compact car with plate number UDB 400, but were later arrested.

The police recovered bond paper with printed P1,000, P500 and P100 bills, 12 pieces uncut P1,000, P500, and P100 fake bills printed on one-half sized bond paper, 19 pieces of counterfeit P1,000 bills, and four pieces P500 fake bills, police records show.

Several paraphernalia for the manufacture of fake money were also recovered from the car, the police said.

To avoid similar incidents, businessmen, if possible, should have blue lights or money checks to identify fake money, Catedral said.

Those with small businesses and at wet markets, where transactions are done in haste, are the usual victims of counterfeit money, Catedral said.

She said vendors or owners of stores who encounter suspected fake bills should immediately call for police assistance.*SGG

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