Manhunt on for real estate, police recruitment scammers in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY – A woman, who stands accused – along with her husband – of being behind a massive police recruitment scam about two years ago turned out to be the same person that duped a former mayor of P20,000 in a real estate deal.
Marilyn Tilendo, alias Wewang, has introduced herself to former Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat mayor Baidido Karon as a Gwen Lazaro in 2012.
Karon said Tilendo had offered to help her sell family-owned lots at a total of P3 million.
She said following their first meeting, Lazaro – who turned out to be Tilendo – returned and tried to convince her into signing a deed of sale because the buyer from Davao City had allegedly deposited the money into a Land Bank account.
Karon said Tilendo also asked her to shell out P20,000 for the release of the deposited money, which, she opted to give instead of a signed deed of sale.
She disappeared since then, Karon said.
The former mayor has sued Tilendo before a court here and on Friday when she was supposed to be arraigned for estafa.
But Tilendo failed to show up before Judge Jorge Jabido of the Regional Trial Court Branch 15. Jabido, after issuing a warrant for her arrest, reset the arraignment to March 14.
Another victim of Tilendo’s apparent real estate scam was a government employee, who claimed he lost over P100,000 in cash when Tilendo and her husband, Tong, asked him to pay “unsettled taxes” first before his property can be sold.
The couple, the government employee said, had convinced him when they presented a “demand letter from the city treasurer’s office.” The “demand letter” turned out to be a forgery.
The involvement of Tilendo and her husband in alleged scams was also highlighted when several police aspirants complained in court that they were hoodwinked into giving them money in exchange for sure placement in the police service a couple of years ago.
Court documents showed that the suspects had convinced as many people by faking the signature of, and dropping the name of Commissioner Constancia P. De Guzman of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
De Guzman had since denied any involvement in the scam and vowed the victims she would help them prosecute the fake recruiters.
The couple now faces charges of estafa one after another in connection with the police recruitment scam but remained at large despite three warrants issued by Executive Judge Bansawan Ibrahim here for their arrest.
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