MANILA, Philippines—A group that claims to serve under the Office of the President is now searching for its own leader after 50 of its members who identified themselves as part of Presidential Regional Assistance Monitoring Services (Prams) were arrested in a police raid along Road 1, Barangay (village) Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City, at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Wilbert Tamayo, Prams deputy operation director, was presiding the group’s monthly meeting when police served them a search warrant for using documents bearing the President’s official seal, stamp and Malacañang headers that led to the arrest of all those present during the meeting.
Station 2 commander Superintendent Audie Madrideo secured the warrant from Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 89.
The Quezon City Police District’s (QCPD) director, Chief Supt. George Regis, confirmed that Prams was not a legitimate government agency or even registered with the Security and Exchange Commission.
Regis also ordered the manhunt for the group’s executive director, Marcelino Castro Jr.
Regis said that Castro was arrested and jailed in 2006 but was released early this year. “He went back to the same business,” said Regis.
He added that Castro used to work with Maximino Gamido, Prams founder, who died in jail in 2010, in Muntinlupa, for 11 counts of fraud.
Regis said that a Supreme Court had ruled out that Gamido and Castro’s Prams was unconstitutional.
Most of the members said that they were enticed to join because the officers promised them positions in the government with salaries of as much as P30,000 to P35,000 a month.
Applicants paid P600, of which P350 was allotted for the IDs, P50 for documentary stamp, and P200 for monthly due.
Freddie Nepomuceno, 52, of Navotas, Quezon City, said he had just joined the group two weeks ago because he wanted to help in the barangay (village) security.
“My relatives were recently robbed in our barangay. When I joined Prams, all I wanted was to work for our community,” he said.
QCPD deputy director for operations Ranier Idio presented to the media the copies of Prams appointment letters to show that members have been assigned as intelligence officers, project directors and other government positions.
A retired teacher of Baesa, Caloocan City, who asked not to be named, said she was under the impression that she would start her job as director in her hometown in Palawan upon the signing of the national budget by President Aquino.
“I was not informed of my salary, but I was willing to receive any amount because I’m jobless now,” she added.
Jonilito Abalos, 31, a vendor from Pangasinan, said he applied for a government job in February and was assigned as senior inspector in his province but said he has not received any salary from the organization yet.
“We were told to wait for the budget,” he said.
Tamayo insisted that their group was “legitimate” and that they were only awaiting the budget from the government in order to operate. He added that their last letter sent to Malacañang requested a dialogue with the President of “their plans.”
“I am unaware if there’s a case against us or we are sought for an explanation, because we believe that Prams is a legitimate office under the Office of the President,” Tamayo said.
Regis said that all ID-bearing Prams members would face forgery charges for violating Art. 179, Art. 161 and Art. 162 of the revised penal code that carry one to six months, 12 to 20 years, and 6 to 12 years of jail sentence, respectively, when proven guilty.
“We are not to judge them but to arrest them for the unauthorized use of the seal of the president, forged signatures and stamp of the chief executive,” said Regis.
The group members are currently under custody of the QCPD while waiting for the inquest proceedings on Monday at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.