Malaya warns vs. elaborate hoax, money scams by leftist group

The public should be vigilant against falling prey to "elaborate hoax and fraudulent money-making schemes" by the leftist groups, the National Security Council warned on Saturday.

NSC Assistant-Director General, Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, said that these fraud activities are carved out of manufactured claims against security agencies of the government.

Malaya's warning stemmed from the report of the Philippine National Police stating that two young women said to be involved in environmental campaigns around Manila Bay who were reported missing have surfaced in Bulacan.

Malaya said Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro reportedly surrendered to the Philippine Army's 70th Infantry Battalion in Doña Remedios Trinidad town on September 12, contrary to the claims of the leftist groups the two were abducted by government security forces.

"They had actually bolted their organization and sought the help of authorities for their safe return home," he added.

Malaya accused the leftist group of pooling financial resources from the people to make it appear that the government security forces are irrelevant.

"Kumakalap po sila ng pera gaya nang sa GCash with the intent of using this to discredit and put government in a bad light. They want the international community to believe that this country is a failed state," Malaya lamented.

"The Karapatan-led offensive included a shameless fundraising drive to collect money from the public purportedly to help locate the two young girls. It turned out, however, that the two students bolted their underground organization and went under the care of a friend," he added.

Malaya then slammed the Karapatan's massive disinformation campaign "Surface Jonila and Jed Network" saying, "These are made out of manufactured threads of storylines using the internet that even the media, the viewing public, and the government became victims of the elaborate deception."

Karapatan, a human rights organization, was one of the first to sound the alarm when the two anti-reclamation activists went missing.

The NSC and PNP's Cybercrime Group, through the help of the Department of Justice, have already started to build up a case against these scammers from the leftist groups.

"We will certainly look into their possible legal liabilities in relation to the Revised Penal Code, anti-cybercrime law, and other special laws. We're working now with the DoJ for the possible filing of charges against them," Malaya said.

Not an abduction

Meanwhile, PCapt. Carlito Buco of the Bataan Provincial Police Office Tamano and Castro have already met their parents and currently staying in a safe house

Citing the police's final investigation report, Buco said Tamano and Castro were not "abducted" or cannot be declared "missing persons."

"The two young girls were staying at a Methodist church in Orion town as early as September 1 and had been planning to leave their organization," he added.