MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police (PNP) has warned the public against individuals posing as members of the national police or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to extort money and obtain personal information.

In an advisory, the PNP said they received reports from citizens about individuals claiming to be members of the military or the national police. 

The said malicious individuals would inform their victims that they are on the list of suspected members of ‘Communist Terrorist Group-New People’s Army’. They will then extort money from the victims in exchange for removing their names from the list.

Initial reports said these individuals have extorted up to P500,000.

The PNP reminds the public to remain vigilant and make sure to verify the identities of individuals claiming to be members of the authority. 

It also advised the public to observe the following safety protocols to prevent being victimized by scammers:

1. Think before you speak. Scammers want you to act and give out information;

2. If the activity is made through phone transactions, be aware that caller IDs can be easily spoofed by scammers, hence:

   a. Verify phone numbers before calling back;

   b. Use a different phone to call back;

   c. Never divulge or share any sensitive information over the  phone; and

   d. Block automated calls

Meanwhile, the PNP-Anti Cybercrime Group is already conducting further investigation on the issue.  

“We condemn these fraudulent acts and assure the public that our PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) has initiated an investigation and case-build up against scammers,” the PNP said in a statement. -AAC

MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has apologized for the inconsistencies in its list of students who allegedly joined the New People’s Army (NPA).

In a Facebook post, the AFP apologized to the individuals affected by the list and announced that an investigation as to how the list got published is underway.

“We sincerely apologize for those who were inadvertently affected by inconsistencies regarding the list of students who joined the NPA (died or captured) that was posted in the AFP Information Exchange Facebook account,” the statement reads.

The statement also said the AFP will review its process and procedures to ensure similar incidents will not occur in the future.

“The Office of the J7, AFP is already conducting an internal investigation as to how the list got published. Personnel who are responsible will be held to account,” according to the AFP statement.

“We want to assure the public that we are now reviewing our processes and procedures to ensure that similar incident will not happen again in the future,” the statement further reads.

The list was published on the AFP’s official Facebook page which has already been taken down. The AFP  also said individuals who are found responsible for posting the list will be held accountable.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo expressed his concern over the AFP’s baseless accusations and red tagging which includes UP students and alumni.

“It is unthinkable that despite the millions of taxpayers’ money poured into military intelligence, the AFP is making such baseless accusations, in the process violating the civil liberties and putting at risk the lives of responsible citizens who are actively contributing to nation-building in their chosen professions,” he said.

“We are worried that a military database that is riddled with factual errors may unduly become the basis for overt and covert military action against our students and alumni across four decades or more,” he added. AAC (with reports from Lea Ylagan)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a hold departure order against the nine policemen involved in the shooting of four army personnel in Jolo, Sulu.

In a statement, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered prosecutors to file a motion in the court for a hold departure order against the policemen accused of killing the four army personnel in Jolo, Sulu last June 2020.

The order was issued after the Philippine National Police (PNP) released the said cops after being dismissed from service.

“The DOJ prosecutors filed the criminal information against the 9 police officers last January 4. The court was supposed to issue the warrants of arrest thereafter, but apparently failed to do so because of the current lockdown in Sulu,” he said.

Guevarra, meanwhile, hopes the accused would voluntarily turn themselves in once the warrants are issued.

“We hope that the 9 accused will voluntarily turn themselves in when such warrants are eventually released by the court. Otherwise, law enforcement agents will look for them and take them into custody,” Guevarra said. -AAC (with reports from Dante Amento)