PNP starts crackdown on cops involved in billion-peso pyramiding scam

A day after President Benigno Aquino III ordered authorities to pursue those behind the billion-peso pyramiding scam, the Philippine National Police on Thursday began a crackdown on its personnel who may have been involved in illegal activity. PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. said the investigation will also look into whether police funds were invested in what turned out to be a huge fraud led by the Aman Futures Group. He said the investigation will not only focus on police ranks is the Zamboanga region, where the bulk of the estimated 15,000 victims are concentrated. On Thursday, Zamboanga del Sur police provincial director Senior Supt. William Manzan was sacked for his alleged failure to either report or stop the investment scam in the province.   “We want to know why this kind of illegal operation has gone full-scale, with the local police doing nothing about it. We want to know the extent of the operation of this company and why it gained so much investor-victims especially in Pagadian City and nearby areas,” said Cerbo. Arrest warrants Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, meanwhile, said President Aquino wants to have immediate results on the probe of investment scam, allegedly started by one Manuel Amalilio. "Pinapabilis lahat iyan ni Presidente. He wants a comprehensive, thorough investigation and he wants immediate action on this... at dapat may mai-issue nang warrants of arrest... kung puwede nga daw by next week," De Lima said. "Ang instructions ko sa National Prosecution Office at National Bureau of Investigation na huwag nga hintayin ang complaints kasi as of [Wednesday] pa lang 8,000 na ang complaints," De Lima said. She said she has also instructed all local prosecutors in areas like Pagadian in Zamboanga del Sur and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao, currently handling Aman Futures-related complaints, to transmit all records of the case to the Manila-based panel specifically created to focus on investment scam. Intelligence officers sacked Nine police intelligence officers have already been sacked from their posts, along with the police director of the Pagadian City identified as Supt. Kenneth Mission, who was relieved for inaction on an order from the regional police leadership for him to look into the investment scam as early as April, Cerbo said. He said the nine intelligence officers of the Zamboanga del Sur police are believed to be in cahoots with the Aman Futures as they were found to have been serving as personal bodyguards of some of the firm's officials.   The relief of Manzan and the 10 others, according to Cerbo, is just the start of an in-depth police probe, adding there might also be a lot of local cops who may have been involved in the scam. “From the very start, it has already the making of a scam but there seems to be inaction in preventing the public from being victimized,” said Cerbo.   A background check showed mass recruitment of investors started in February this year and further went on full-scale in August and September.   For his part, Chief Supt. Napoleon Estilles, director of the Zamboanga regional police, said more local police personnel will be subjected to investigation by the Task Force Aman, which he created. “We have been receiving reports some officers are giving protection to Aman Futures officials... we are now looking into it,” said Estilles.   Public funds invested? Earlier reports revealed that some local officials have invested funds from local government units’ Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) to the Aman Futures.   “So far, we have not received any information on that. But we will check it,” said Cerbo.   According to Cerbo, a total of 53 policemen have so far surfaced to file complaints against Aman Futures, some of them have even borrowed huge sum of money from lending institutions.   Moreover he said all the cop-victims are either assigned to the Pagadian City Police and in Zamboanga del Sur.   He suspected that more victims would be coming out after preparing their complaints.   As of yesterday, Cerbo said, teams from both the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation were already sent to Mindanao to process the complaints of some 8,000 victims referred to by Secretary De Lima. — LBG, GMA News