Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., PNP chief (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda has ordered an investigation into the inclusion of a controversial vlogger among the journalists who were allowed to cover a raid on the office of an online lending company in Makati City last week.
In a press briefing on Monday, Acorda directed the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to look into the propriety of having Rendon Labador present in the Oct. 20 operation conducted by the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG).
Labador, a vlogger who also describes himself as a motivational speaker and entrepreneur, was allowed to livestream the raiding team’s postoperation activities, based on the posts he made.
Maj. Gen. Eric Noble, chief of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, said a “pre-charge investigation” would be conducted, noting there was a violation of the PNP’s revised media relations policy particularly on the privacy of individuals in custody.
“We already sent a memo to the ACG directing them to explain. We wait for their explanation and from there we will recommend for your approval the sanctions to be meted out,” Noble told Acorda at the briefing.
The PNP chief said the investigation would check if there are other lapses committed by the ACG in the raid.
“Definitely, we don’t encourage such actions [committed by Labador with the approval of ACG]. We will be issuing directives and initiating measures, so as not to repeat the same incident,” Acorda added.
Lending apps
A total of 252 employees of Golden Koi Lending Tech Corp., including three foreign nationals, were held for questioning at their raided office in Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati, for alleged violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Members of the ACG and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) served two warrants, issued by Judge Maria Victoria Soriano-Villadolid of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 24, to search the office and seize and examine computer data.
The warrants stemmed from several complaints filed by Golden Koi clients who used the online lending apps Wow Pera, Zippeso, Valley Loan and Lemon Loan.
Of the questioned employees, 35 were made to undergo inquest proceedings as respondents in the complaint.
‘Huli kayo!’
Labador later posted two Facebook livestreams of the operation past 9 p.m. on Oct. 20, showing the faces of some of the employees and at one point carrying a caption in Filipino: “Huli kayo. Kulang-kulang 300 illegal online lending app! Huli sa akto!” (Gotcha! Around 300 illegal online lending apps! Caught in the act!)
PAOCC executive director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, who was present in the raid, was also surprised to see Labador in the operation.
‘Collaboration’
ACG spokesperson Capt. Michelle Sabino explained that Labador and members of the media were only allowed access after the raid.
Labador said it was his first time to join a police raid and that it was for his online show’s “public service collaboration” with the ACG.
“This is our partnership with the PNP which advocates to defend ordinary people who could not fight for themselves. We want to correct what is wrong on the internet, because many people are not aware of the crimes which are happening nowadays online,” he explained.
“My goal is to educate them so that they would not fall prey to these scams. I want to spread awareness. I want to tell the public that the law is our ally,” Labador added.
According to Labador, he was the one who approached the ACG for the collaboration.
Though he started out producing content as a fitness buff, Labador’s posts had also earned the ire of some prominent personalities.
In September, his accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, YouTube and Google accounts were suspended for a month for violating the community guidelines of these platforms.