The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issues a renewed warning to local chief executives, government officials and the public in general against an impostor posing as the newly-appointed DILG Usec. Eduardo M. Año or his personnel.
The warning came after reports from various local officials reached the office of DILG- Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Catalino S. Cuy, outlining the scheme being perpetrated by individuals who claim to be Usec. Año.
Cuy says the scammer is heard going around Region 6 and other towns and claiming he is the newly-appointed DILG Usec. Año.
In one instance, the impostor instructed a DILG official to tell a city mayor facing a dismissal order to call the poseur. Fortunately, the official knows well enough and the charade was off.
“Let the public be warned that Usec. Año or any DILG official for that matter do not go around the country asking for favors. It is prudent to always check and consult any DILG office to confirm before believing these con artists,” Cuy says in a statement.
Meanwhile, he also issued a separate warning to local chief executives who could be victims of another group called the “Peoples’ Congress”.
He says that the group is going around towns and provinces with dubious claims of being authorized by the Palace to appoint local executives who will take over the posts of current elected officials once the supposed revolutionary government is setup.
One of the purported leaders of this group introduces himself as a lawyer named “Jose Roa Matias II” and claimed to be a relative of the President.
Police operatives, however, checked with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and discovered that the said person is not in the roster of lawyers.
“This could well be another group of scammers who are out to prey on unsuspecting public officials who have political ambitions,” Cuy points out.
“We have alerted the Philippine National Police to investigate and look into the activities of these people and they are now being continuously monitored. Let us not be victims to these scams and impostors,” he adds.
The DILG is appealing to people living in the provinces as well as here in Metro Manila not to be swayed by the false statements and claims of a revolutionary government to be setup soon.
“We warn the public to stay away from bogus groups. These people are on the lookout for their possible preys. The least we can do is expose these scammers every time they start with their modus. There is no truth to what they are saying,” says Cuy. —DILG PACS
