POLICE operatives assigned at the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) scored again by arresting a bogus social welfare coordinator in an entrapment operation yesterday noon.
Police Col. Aaron Mandia, Cocpo head, identified the suspect as Jhon Carl Mendoza, 30, a native of Barangay Hugo, Perez Trese Marteres, Cavite City.
He was presented to the media this morning during a virtual press conference with DSWD Secretary Erwyn Tulfo at the police main headquarters at Barangay 40.
The suspect, when asked about his participation, refused to comment.
Mendoza was staying at the house owned by Gracefer Cernvantes located at Villamor compound, Barangay Balulang for almost a month.
He was nabbed by the responding authorities at police station 4 in Carmen led by Police Major Mario Nalla- Mantalla, Jr, together with intelligence operatives, and Department of Social Welfare 10 (DSWD-10) staff led by its Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga.
It was Cernvantes who reported the suspect’s illegal activities to the police and to the DSWD office.
The suspect, according to the police had acted as DSWD Beneficiaries Coordinator for Social Amelioration of DSWD ‘Ayuda’ and DSWD Educational Assistance in return for payments.
Mandia said that prior to the arrest of one of the raiding team members Police Senior Sgt. Arjee Jabiguero pretended to be applying for the DSWD’s Educational Assistance and filled up the Social Amelioration Card (SAC).
Upon receiving the marked money amounted to P850 as the supposed registration payment, police immediately ganged up on him.
Confiscated from the suspect were the marked money, 92 pieces of DSWD SAC forms, 19 pieces 4Ps requirements, 59 pieces of fake Education Assistance requirements of DSWD, three pieces of blank SAC forms, a DSWD fake identification card, and a fake DSWD vest.
Mandia lauded the action exerted by the operating teams which accomplished a positive result and even encouraged the public to report to their office any suspicious individuals who do the same.
In a statement, Dollaga said the said arrest will serve as a strong warning to the public that even if this scam is being widely perpetrated, our Department headed by Secretary Erwyn Tulfo will address this pressing concern and solve this issue.
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