Gov’t looking into 400 scam hubs operating in PH

The government is looking into 400 scam hubs that are operating in the country, officials said Thursday.

According to Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, these are hubs that allegedly do not pay for their license, do not agree to inspection and lack the necessary documents.

“Ang mabigat po doon sa imbestigasyon na ginagawa namin, sa kanila pa nanggagaling ‘yung mga minsan ‘yung mga kidnapping. Doon nangyayari sa mga ganito eh. Kasi nga hindi na sila nagpapa-inspeksyon,” Cruz said in an interview.

(What is surprising from the investigation we conducted is that these hubs are the cause of crimes such as kidnappings. That’s where it happens because they do not undergo inspections.)

The interview took place on the sidelines of an inter-agency meeting attended by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and PAOCC that discussed inter-agency cooperation for future operations.

According to Cruz, national agencies will now monitor the movement of local units and police.

“Involve na namin sila dito dahil sila naman ‘yung nakakaalam kung saan ito naka-locate, ano ‘yung permit na binigay nila rito, at ano ‘yung mga krimen na kinasangkutan nung mga tao na nagtatrabaho rito,” he said.

(We will involve other agencies because they know where these hubs are located, what permits were issued, and what crimes were committed by their employees.)

Asked how much money is involved in these scams, Cruz said they have no estimate but it would be in the “billions”.

Keeping up with the trend

Meanwhile, Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano said that through the coordination of various government agencies, the government is able to gather enough intelligence and information to determine the movement of these hubs.

“The most challenging part here is keeping up with the trend kasi andami na pong mga iba't ibang mga schemes, iba’t ibang mga scams na kailangan tignan namin. And I think with the coordinated and concerted effort of PAOCC and the rest of the agencies, we are able to already, siguro, keep up,” Clavano said.

(The most challenging part is keeping up with the trend because there are many schemes now, different kinds of scams that we need to look into. And I think with the coordinated and concerted effort of PAOCC and the rest of the agencies, we are able to already keep up.)

“And hopefully, in the near future, we’re able to stay one step ahead of everybody,” he added.

According to Clavano, the government is facing a “multi-billion dollar industry.”

?“The Philippines is one with the global community in trying to stop these types of syndicates from operating. Tama po kayo na ito ay maraming elemento na international,” he said.

The Justice official said they are also pushing for more international cooperation, adding that the Philippines cannot act as if it is in a vacuum.—RF, GMA Integrated News