The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) warned applicants on Friday not to engage with individuals extorting money in exchange for slots in its nationwide recruitment program.

The warning comes after a Coast Guard petty officer third class (PO3), identified as Ibrahim Banota, allegedly attempted to extort P150,000 from an applicant in exchange for guaranteed entry into the service.

The PCG received a report regarding Banota’s activity on 19 May 2024. Five days later, the PCG and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 9 conducted an entrapment operation that led to Banota’s arrest at the Coast Guard Station Western Tawi-Tawi in Zamboanga City.

“The filing of a case is now underway for a violation under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code (estafa) and Section IX, A. Grave Offenses, paragraph 24 of National Headquarters-Philippine Coast Guard/Coast Guard Internal Affairs Service (NHQ-PCG/CGLAS) Circular Number 13-19,” the Coast Guard District of Southwestern Mindanao said in a statement.

The PCG encouraged applicants and the public to report any illegal activities related to the nationwide recruitment program to the Coast Guard Human Resource Management Command (CGHRMC) for immediate action.