INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) warned the public on Tuesday to watch out for an individual looking for investors and posing as a second cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz identified the individual as Mario P. Marcos, whom he said is claiming to be related to the chief executive while trying to convince persons to invest in expensive projects.
“We just want the public to know na may ganitong modus operandi, some people are claiming to be close to the officials of Malacañang [or] sometimes relatives of the people in Malacañang,” Cruz told reporters.
Cruz likewise clarified that upon conducting a background check on Marcos, the agency discovered that he is neither related to the President.
“May mga verifications na kami nagawa at talagang lumalabas na hindi siya relative o kamag anak ng mga Marcoses and aside from that yung sa background check na ginawa namin na the same modus operandi ang ginawa niya hindi lang sakanilang dalawa, meron pang isang latest,” Cruz said, referring to two alleged victims who surfaced recently.
(We have verified that he is not related to the Marcoses and that her has been using the same modus to victimize individuals.)
“Actually out on bail siya eh ngayon so yung cases na ginawa sa ibang tao finile-an din siya ng kaso at ngayon nakapyansa lang siya,” added Cruz.
(He is out on bail, cases have been filed but he is out on bail.)
‘Victims’
As Cruz warned the public, two alleged victims of Marcos came forward and shared their stories.
Boy (not his real name), a retired military official, said he met Marcos through a common friend in August last year.
Based on Boy’s story, the latter was wearing gold accessories and luxury brand clothes while inviting him to invest in high-end developmental projects such as a Dubai-like island in Palawan and flying cars, among others.
Convinced with Marcos’ credentials, Boy claimed he invested about P800,000 in the said projects but did not receive any gains, which he plans to allocate for his youngest son’s college education.
On the other hand, Maria (not her real name), a contractor, said she reportedly lost a total of P12 million to Marcos after she likewise invested in the same “projects”.
In a government event on April 17 this year, Maria said she met the alleged scammer, who reportedly introduced himself as the cousin of the chief executive and was likewise recognized by the people of the event as someone related to the Marcos clan.
According to Maria, she visited Marcos’ office in Makati last April 25. ]
The victim said she was convinced after seeing Marcos’ room full of pictures with known officials such as House Speaker Martin Romualdez, former President and Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Senator Imee Marcos, among many others.
Cruz said PAOCC had already coordinated with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin regarding the case.