THE “POLICE recruitment scam” is the current “talk of the town” in Negros Occidental. It’s a P15-million “duping game”.
Forty-seven Negrense aspiring policemen claimed they were allegedly duped.
Per the blotter report from La Castellana Municipal Police Station (LCMPS), each of the “victim” claimed they personally paid huge sums of money – from P270,000 to P350,000 – to successfully become new Philippine National Police cops despite either being overaged, with no college diploma, no government eligibility or were previously dismissed from the police service.
They claimed to have been recruited between December 2022 and March this year. They were promised of having an oath-taking last July.
But the oath-taking didn’t happen. They eventually realized what happened to them, and now they are holding responsible two persons who “recruited” them.
Conspiracy is an act of two or more persons conspiring “to cheat and defraud any person by
obtaining money or property by false pretenses or by false promises with fraudulent intent not to perform such promises.”
In Criminal Law, the “case on process” can also be elevated to the so-called syndicated or large-scale estafa if evidences and testimonies warrant it.
I have talked to one of the complainants, Garry Marfil, 35. He said he was personally approached and was promised to be enlisted in the PNP even though he’s already overaged.
Enticed by the “sweet promise”, he “bit the bullet”.
The same thing happened to the other complainants, and it is causing them “moral distress”. They have a high respect to their so-called recruiter. They are therefore very disappointed and frustrated.
Moral distress is an ethical syndrome that constitutes the inability of a moral agent to act according to his/her core values and perceived obligations due to internal and external constraint.
This case has also sadly resulted to an “unwanted political bickering” between two local officials. But this, in our view, is a distraction to the real issue – the duping of 47 Negrense aspiring policemen.
Mayor Mhai-Mhai vowed to help the victims. A policewoman by profession, she said, “The amount involved is so big, and most of the victims are sons of our municipal employees and my political supporters.”
Some parents – to help their children apply to become policemen – pawned their standing crops (rice and sugarcane), sold their cows or carabaos while others “nangutang saka-an”, lamented Mayor Mhai-Mhai.
Those being complained should come out and address the allegations of the 47 Negrense aspiring policemen. Stop hiding. Stop making excuses. Stop raising unrelated issues. Face the music./PN
