Tag: Mandaluyong

Scammers who pretended to be DBM personnel arrested by NBI

Scammers who pretended to be DBM personnel arrested by NBI

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Here in the Philippines, scammers are almost everywhere. There are scammers who will send you direct electronic messages or call you with offers of job openings, promos, investment opportunities, subscriptions and the like. What caught my attention was the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) recent apprehension of scammers who posed as personnel of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), according to a news article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested on Tuesday eight individuals pretending to be officials and employees of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in an entrapment operation in Mandaluyong City.

The DBM, in a news release Wednesday, said one of the suspects introduced herself to the complainant as an Undersecretary of the DBM supposedly in charge of the agency’s “special projects.”

The scammers promised the complainant, who is a project contractor, access to some PHP1.3 billion worth of government projects involving the construction of a dam.

The suspects assured the complainant that the project will be awarded to her once “grease money” was provided for the project’s “Blue Print” to initiate the processing of documents for the project award.

The illicit activity was uncovered after the contractor conducted an initial verification with the DBM.

After receiving and accommodating the complaint, the DBM sought the help of the NBI to carry out an entrapment operation where the suspects were arrested after accepting the PHP500,000 marked money.

“Mariin po nating kinokondena ang ganitong klaseng gawain. May proseso po tayong sinusunod na naaayon sa mga umiiral na batas (We strongly condemn this kind of activity. We have a process that is consistent with existing laws),” Budget Secretary Mina Pangandaman said.

She said the DBM is hoping that the incident will “send a strong statement to the public” that it will never tolerate fraudulent activities.

“Seryoso po ang DBM sa paglaban sa katiwalian gaya po ng ganitong mga gawain. Kaya naman po hinihikayat ko po ang taumbayan na agad magsumbong at i-report kung may mga mae-encounter sila na ganitong mga indibidwal (The DBM is serious about fighting corruption. That’s why I encourage the people to immediately report if they encounter scrupulous individuals),” Pangandaman added.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you concerned that there could be a lot more scammers out there pretending to be representatives or officials of government departments or corporations trying to deceive people over their money? Have you been scammed before?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Wanted foreigners arrested by immigration officials

Wanted foreigners arrested by immigration officials

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Here in the Philippines, personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) successfully apprehended three foreigners – two from South Korea and one from China – who were wanted in their respective countries. According to a Manila Bulletin news report, the three were arrested in two separate operations.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested two South Koreans wanted for telecom fraud and a Chinese charged with economic crimes in their respective countries.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Koreans Kim Changhan, 25, and Kim Junhee, 38, were arrested last week by operatives from the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU) in separate operations conducted in Makati City and Porac, Pampanga.

On the other hand, 51-year-old Chinese woman Zhang Yujie was (collared) in Mandaluyong City last Friday.

The BI chief said that the two South Koreans already have summary deportation orders issued against them in 2019 and 2020 for being undesirable aliens.

FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy said the deportation order against Kim Changan was in relation to an arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court in October 2020 while Kim Junhee faces a warrant issued by Seoul Nambu District Court in July 2019.

Information obtained from the Interpol’s national central bureau (NCB) in Manila revealed that Kim Changan is the leader of a telecom fraud syndicate based in Sandong-sung China engaged in voice phishing that defrauded their compatriots of more than 63 million won or nearly US$53 million.

For the newcomers reading this, there are wanted foreigners or undesirable aliens who are present here in the Philippines and it takes time and effort to apprehend them. This past January in Parañaque City, a foreign fugitive was arrested and he turned out to be listed in the Interpol’s Red Notice. Still in Parañaque, a Malaysian national and his Filipino partner got arrested for falsification of documents and usurpation of authority right inside a police station. The two suspects tried to fool the police into releasing Chinese nationals who were arrested for kidnapping.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you suspicious of foreigners living in your local community right now? Do you believe that the immigration officials are the doing good enough to get rid of the undesirable aliens?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Muntinlupa City is among 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardees

Muntinlupa City is among 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardees

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Muntinlupa City is among 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardees

Today the City Government of Muntinlupa announced that they have been feted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as one of the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) awardees for its excellent delivery of public service. This latest development continues to show why Muntinlupa is a standout city among South Metro Manila’s cities.

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DILG Sec. Eduardo Año turns-over the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance award to Mayor Jaime Fresnedi during an awarding ceremony at Manila Hotel last November 4. SGLG is the DILG’s progressive assessment and reward system that gives LGUs distinction for their remarkable performance across various assessment areas in governance. Also attending the program were Muntinlupa City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela and DILG Muntinlupa Field Office chief Bernadette Ferino. (source – Muntinlupa PIO)

The prestigious SGLG award was received by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi from DILG Sec. Eduardo Año during the awarding ceremony held at the Manila Hotel yesterday. With the mayor were City Administrator Engr. Allan Cachuela and DILG Muntinlupa Field Office chief Bernadette Ferino.

Despite having a more stringent assessment criteria for the award, the City of Muntinlupa has passed “all-in” seven assessment areas in governance namely: Financial Administration; Disaster Preparedness; Social Protection; Peace and Order; Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Environmental Protection; and Tourism Culture and the Arts.

To put things in perspective, Muntinlupa City was among the three hundred and eighty local government units (LGU) in the country conferred with the coveted award in governance. In the National Capital Region or NCR, only eight LGUs received this year’s Seal including the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Pasay, Quezon City, and San Juan.

Fresnedi thanked the DILG for its recognition of Muntinlupa’s commitment in improving local administration and service delivery for Muntinlupeños.

“We are honored to receive this award as it validates our efforts towards local governance reforms and development. This recognition is an outcome of the collective efforts of dedicated city officials and employees who tirelessly worked in facilitating a transparent, caring, and accountable government for the people,” the mayor said.

As an incentive, 2019 SGLG recipients are set to receive Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) to finance local development projects and capacity development assistance from the DILG.

To be clear, SGLG is the DILG’s progressive assessment and reward system that gives LGUs distinction for their remarkable performance across various pillars. This year’s award is the second SGLG award conferred to Muntinlupa City after receiving the same recognition in 2015.

Furthermore, Muntinlupa City was also awarded with three major awards from the Department of Health (DOH) last November 4 at the Metro Manila Center for Health Development’s “Gabi ng Parangal” held in Crowne Plaza Manila.

The DOH conferred the City Government with Best in Rabies Prevention and Control Program, Best in National Voluntary Blood Services Program, and Plaque of Appreciation for the implementation of the Universal Health Care.

Previously, Muntinlupa became the only South Metro Manila city to make the Top 10 of the Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities when the results of the 2019 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) were revealed.

Parañaque City Government officials silent

More about the NCR city governments and the DILG’s organizing of the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance awards, I reached out to my contacts at the City Government of Parañaque and asked what was their reaction about their city NOT receiving the prestigious SGLG award. They did not reply at all today.

Those same Parañaque City officials did not reply to my previous inquiry regarding their city’s failure to make the Top 10 of the Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities of the entire Philippines as per the results of the 2019 CMCI.

I guess it’s more comfortable for them to remain silent than answering tough questions about competition with other city governments. Now I’ve got to check with one other South Metro Manila city regarding the SGLG awards.