MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City policemen on Thursday arrested scammers who made and used fake IDs to get food coupons, which the local government distributes to its public school students.
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto said the suspects were collared in Nagpayong, Barangay Pinagbuhatan.
“Nagpayong is in Brgy. Pinagbuhatan. They were printing fake IDs,” Sotto said, adding that the still unidentified suspects are now under police custody.
Sotto also showed the fake IDs in a Facebook post.
“Gumagawa ang pamahalaan ng paraan para makatulong, tapos may manloloko at mananamantala pa? Kulong kayo ngayon,” he stated.
(The local government is doing what it can to help, then someone will deceive and take advantage of it? Off to jail you go.)
Because of what happened, Sotto said the distribution of food coupons to public school students in Nagpayong has been temporarily suspended.
The distribution of food coupons in Pasig City comes as Luzon remains under an enhanced community quarantine due to swelling number of people getting infected with the novel coronavirus or SARS-COV-2, which causes COVID-19.
Aside from food coupons, the local government also allotted more than P1 billion to subsidize families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pasig City currently has 205 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data provided by the local government as of Tuesday.