A former employee of the First Family has been arrested by authorities for allegedly pretending to have strong connections in Malacañang to extort money from business owners and contractors.

Acting on two warrants of arrest for estafa, operatives of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) apprehended the suspect at a hotel in Pasay City this afternoon.

According to CIDG Chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III, the suspect allegedly introduced himself as close to the First Family and used this claim to persuade contractors and business owners that he could influence government projects. In return, he reportedly demanded a 3-5% commission from bidding and supply contracts.

"They are peddling their alleged closeness to the First Family, and they are using this to encourage people, to dupe people into believing that they can actually influence the outcome of procurement processes, especially bidding and supply contracts. This is not true, and our President and First Lady will not tolerate such actions," Torre stated.

Apart from claiming connections to the Palace, the suspect also allegedly posed as a high-ranking government official, specifically an undersecretary, to further convince potential victims.

The suspect’s illegal activities were uncovered after the Office of the Special Envoy for Transnational Crime (OSETC), an agency under the Office of the President, received complaints. In response, the PNP-CIDG conducted thorough surveillance and a manhunt operation that led to the suspect’s arrest.

While Torre did not disclose the exact amount the suspect collected from his victims, authorities believe the operation may have been extensive, with numerous individuals possibly defrauded.

The CIDG is urging other potential victims, particularly business owners and contractors, to come forward and file complaints against the suspect to aid in further investigations and legal proceedings.