117 Pinoys face charges for violating Data Privacy Act — PAOCC

A total of 117 Filipino workers from a Makati City office that was recently raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) will face charges for allegedly violating the Data Privacy Act.

PAOCC officials said it identified the establishment served as the hub of several online lending applications that illegally harass debtors.

Saleema Refran reported Sunday that of the 131 Filipino workers under the custody of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), 14 have agreed to testify as witnesses before the court.

This will allow the 14 Pinoys to be excluded from the charges in violation of the Data Privacy Act filed against their colleagues who have undergone inquest proceedings.

“Lahat po sila, masasampahan po ng kaso at i-de-determine po ng mga piskalya kung lahat sila ay magkakaroon ng pananagutan o wala,” PAOCC spokesperson Director Winston Casio told GMA Integrated News.

(All of them will be charged and the fiscal will determine if all of them should be held liable or not.)

The PAOCC and National Bureau of Investigation had said they were looking into the possible connection between lending app companies and POGO operations.

The raid was launched by operatives of the PAOCC, the NBI Organized and Transnational Crime Division last Friday after a search warrant was issued by the Makati Regional Trial Court.

“Ang nakakalungkot kasi dito, ang niloloko dito mga Pilipino. At ang mga nanloloko, ang mga nangha-harass, ang mga nagbibigay ng sakit ng loob is mga Pilipino din.” PAOCC Executive Director Gilbert Cruz said.

(What's said is the victims here are Filipinos and those scamming, harassing and hurting them are fellow Filipinos.)

PAOCC believes foreigners are behind these operations.

“Ang nagpapasunod sa kanila, nagpapatakbo ng operasyon ay mga Chinese o mga foreign nationals na siyang nagsisilbing mga boss nitong loan applications,” Cruz added.

(The ones holding the reins, running the operations are Chinese or foreign nationals who serve as the boss of these loan applications.)

Victims speak out

After the raid, PAOCC said it received more complaints against the unfair collection practices of OLAs. It is investigating these complaints.

Victims of harassment and threats sought assistance from PAOCC to put an end to these abusive and criminal debt collection strategies.

Flor, not her real name, borrowed P2,000 through an OLA in the middle of the pandemic.

Due to the various admin fees, she only received P1,300.

When she failed to meet the one week payment deadline, she said she began receiving threats from different phone numbers.

“Pupugutan daw po ako ng ulo. Huwag daw po akong lalabas kasi babarilin daw po ako. Ire-rape daw ako. Iga-gang rape daw kami. Buong pamilya ko raw po papatayin nila,” she said.

(They said they will cut off my head. I should not go out because I will be shot. I would be raped, gang-raped. They will kill my whole family.)

Another victim, Ashley, also not her real name, said debt collectors have also gone to the extent of posting manipulated photos and videos on social media.

“Talagang ginagawan nila ng pornographic material yung mga bata. Kahit grandparents mo, ie-edit nila yung mukha tapos kung saan-saan nila ilalagay. Mas worse, yung iba nilalagay pa po nila sa website,” she shared.

(They made pornographic material from children and even grandparents. They will edit their faces and put them in all sorts of images. It's made worse when they place these in websites.)

But even good payers or those with good credit also experience harassment to force them to take on new loans.

Ashley already finished paying her loan but was surprised to see P7,000 in her e-wallet for a P15,000 loan forced upon her.

“Doon nila ako hina-harass sa pagre-reloan. P15,000 ni-reloan sa akin. P7,000 lang natanggap ko tapos kung ibabalik ko rin yun, within a second kailangan ibalik ko yung P15,000,” she said.

Kikay Bautista, founder of United OLA Victims Movement, an online support group for harassment victims said that collectors are taking harassment to a whole new level.

“Pinuntahan sila ng punerarya na kukunin na raw yung bangkay nila. Pinapadalhan sila ng mga bumbero at sipsip poso negro. May fake bookings rin ng pagkain,” Bautista said.

(A funeral parlor went to them to pick up a body. Firefighters, sanitation and fake bookings for food went to their homes.)

PAOCC says POGOs may be using OLAs as fronts for their scamming operations—now with Filipino victims and perpetrators.

None of the lending app owners were arrested during the raid.— with Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News