COTABATO CITY — A prominent Church official has alerted the public about a scam in which people are urged to contribute money for his “triple heart bypass operation,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has reported.
Retired Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate said an unidentified person had been trying to raise money for his supposed surgery by sending text messages to his friends.
Quevedo, who turned 80 last March and who retired in 2018, sent the text message to the CBCP, which in turn published it on its official news website, CBCPNews, on April 11.
Text message
The text message that supposedly came from Quevedo reads: “Hi. How are you? Tried calling. I am so sorry to disturb you. I am really having second thoughts of messaging you kay maulaw gyud ko (because I am embarrassed). I just would like to personally ask for help for my hospital bill. I am at the moment scheduled for a triple heart bypass operation. Please keep this as a confidential message as only few people know that I am about to undergo the surgery. My friend Rey Golingan from Gensan also pledged to share. Hope to hear from you soon. Damo gid nga salamat (Thank you so much) and God bless!”
Quevedo stressed that he had no outstanding balance in any hospital.
“Warning! This is a scam,” he said.