In recent days, two extortion incidents targeting Chinese nationals have occurred consecutively in Metro Manila. The suspects are reportedly from the Philippine military and police forces.
Philippine media revealed that yesterday (November 5th), a man claiming to be a reservist in Quezon City, Metro Manila, was arrested after extorting a Chinese man facing charges.
The victim's wife recounted that the man sent a message, introducing himself as a driver for a friend of her husband. "My husband and I have been dealing with a legal issue recently. He felt sorry for us. He said he would help us, but it would cost us money, like a transaction," the victim's wife said.
The man asked them to pay between 8 million to 10 million pesos for his assistance.
What puzzled the victim's family was how this man knew about the charges they were facing.
"I told my husband that it might be a scam... He actually sent a photo of our family, and I wonder why he knew about this," she said.
Fearing that the man might be tracking them, they reported the extortion incident to the NBI Cybercrime Division.
The suspect, who used the alias "Jerome" and claimed to be a reservist, was then apprehended.
"After being caught, the suspect claimed to be the complainant's driver and said that he mentioned being a reservist and another law enforcement officer's name," said Vanessa Asuncion, head of the NBI Cybercrime Division.
However, the victims denied that Jerome worked for them.
The suspect also argued that he only wanted to help because he knew the driver who had a dispute with the aforementioned Chinese man. He admitted that he asked for money because he had been unemployed for several months. "I really didn't extort money from them. I told them I just needed a little because I wanted to move. It's okay, just helping," Jerome said.
Asuncion stated, "No one's help can make us withdraw the case, as we must follow court procedures."
The NBI is investigating whether the suspect has defrauded other foreigners using the same modus operandi. They are also verifying whether he is indeed a reservist.
The suspect will face charges of fraud and impersonating a public officer.
Also yesterday, the National Capital Regional Police Office stated that its chief, Police Major General Sidney Hernia, denied the extortion charges against him and 14 other officers following a raid on an online gambling company in Malate, Manila.
"Sidney Hernia categorically denies the extortion charges against him and the other 14 officers, calling these allegations 'ridiculous and baseless'."
Hernia stated that the Metro Manila Police Office is willing to undergo investigation, and he will not tolerate any misconduct in their ranks, "This is an opportunity to let the truth come out, and I believe the investigation will show that all followed procedures were legal and proper."
"The Metro Manila Police Office remains firmly committed to its mission of combating crime and protecting the public from fraudulent activities. We are always ready to clarify our charges and enhance our dedication to integrity and service," he added.
On October 29, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group and the Metro Manila Police Office raided an online gambling company located on the 23rd floor of the Century Peak Tower at 475 Sta. Monica St, Ermita, Malate, and detained 69 foreigners.
However, news soon emerged that some of the detained individuals had been released.
On November 2, a statement from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission indicated that the agency had no involvement in the operation led by the police anti-cybercrime group and the Metro Manila Police Office, "The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission was not involved in this raid operation. We were neither consulted nor notified about this action. We have not released any of the foreigners arrested in the Philippine offshore gaming operators. Please do not associate us with the flawed raid operation."
The agency also stated that all its actions are always coordinated properly with the DOJ-Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and the Bureau of Immigration; "Moreover, we never said that the raided gaming company was the progenitor of all gaming companies. As mentioned earlier, we are not involved in this operation, thus we will not make any statements regarding its investigation."
On November 4, during the aforementioned raid operation, four Chinese nationals who had been arrested went to the National Police Commission under the Department of the Interior and Local Government to file the aforementioned complaint.
The complainants stated in their complaint to the Minister of the Interior, Jonvic Remulla, that the arrests were illegal, and the arresting officers did not read their rights in front of them. One of the Chinese nationals also mentioned that the police even tried to extort one million pesos from each of them in exchange for a lawyer allegedly connected to the high ranks of the Metro Manila Police Office and their freedom.
The detained Chinese citizens tried to bargain with the police, offering 500,000 pesos each.
The complaint read, "We take this opportunity to request permission to contact our families and friends to raise the funds demanded by the extortionists." "We ask our families to hire a real lawyer to help us resolve the current situation and legal issues."
In addition to administrative charges, the four Chinese complainants also hope to implement preventive suspension on the aforementioned multiple officers to avoid possible influence on the investigation.
Meanwhile, the owner of the building raided by the police will also file charges against the police. The owner stated that the police could have coordinated with them before conducting the raid, as another company occupied the 23rd floor of the building.
The owner's lawyer, Baby Arcega, stated, "This was a licensed online gambling company, whose license had been revoked last year." "A simple phone call could have clarified that Vertex Technology was no longer in the building... Instead, they raided the 23rd and 32nd floors."
But the police stated that Vertex Technology had just changed its company name.
"They can always make their claims. If they want to question the validity and basis of the police action, it is their right, and they will not be excluded from doing so," said Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo at today's press conference.
"From what I understand, according to the investigation, Vertex Technology had just changed to Quantum Technology. In fact, I learned earlier that during the operation, they still received receipts and documents proving that this company was still using Vertex Technology's legal and tax documents," Jean Fajardo added.
In addition to violating the Anti-Cybercrime Act, Vertex Technology was also charged with violating securities regulations by changing its company name. Although its license had expired a long time ago, it was still operating illegal businesses such as online investment fraud.
"As far as I know, Vertex Technology's license had expired or had been revoked. However, their business was not relevant, in fact, they violated the Securities Regulation Code, especially since they were suspected of engaging in online fraud, particularly pig-butchering romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud, which violated the provisions in their company registration," Fajardo added.
"There is no doubt that their business scope did not include cryptocurrency, which is the result of the investigation. In fact, the processing is still ongoing, and they are working hard to ensure safety, as their search warrant was for searching, seizing, and inspecting their cryptocurrency content. The computer files clearly stated that they had no right to engage in any cryptocurrency investments. Therefore, this is the core of the regulatory violations," she said.
Previously, three police officers from the Anti-Cybercrime Group were suspended during the operation at the Century Peak Tower for tampering with surveillance. The head of the agency, Major General Ronnie Francis Carriga, stated that these three officers were immediately suspended during the investigation.
Meanwhile, the police relayed that these three officers explained that at the time, the building's air conditioning and elevators were turned off, and the raiding police had to climb to the 23rd floor of the building; due to the heat and fatigue, the police were forced to take off their clothes, and to avoid these indecent images being captured by cameras, they moved the cameras.
Currently, the suspended officers have been transferred to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Section for investigation.
So many absurd things happening in one operation is not normal. Moving cameras, releasing detained individuals, and complaints of extortion from Chinese nationals, all these things together lead us to conclude using our elbows.
The reason the Philippine police bypassed the annoying Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission to initiate this operation was to rake in a hefty sum for holiday expenses before Christmas and New Year. Chinese nationals related to online gambling and telecommunications fraud have always been the best targets for extortion, but this time, the unsightly Philippine police messed up the situation.
The aforementioned case of a so-called Philippine reservist extorting a Chinese national embroiled in a lawsuit further illustrates that any Filipino with a bit of power, or even slightly connected to power, sees Chinese nationals as fat sheep ready for slaughter. You never know when a knife might pop out from that direction.
