Aguirre: Beware of fundraisers namedropping Cabinet execs

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II warned the public not to fall for fundraising activities supposedly done on behalf of Malacañang and Cabinet officials.

He said the Office of the President and Cabinet members have not authorized anyone to solicit donations supposedly to help soldiers and policemen who fought during the siege of Marawi City, or to fund projects for senior citizens or the antiillegal drugs campaign.

There are “unscrupulous individuals posing as members of the Cabinet, including Executive Secretary (Salvador Medialdea), or namedropping the latter in fraudulent schemes to solicit funds from the public,” Aguirre said in an “extremely urgent” memo dated Nov. 24.

“The public is also warned that the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive Secretary have not authorized any person to solicit money or other things of value from the public for the alleged benefit of Marawi soldiers, senior citizens, illegal drug campaign, or any other cause for that matter,” he added, citing a Malacañang public notice dated Nov. 21.

In an earlier statement, Aguirre said he had not authorized anyone to solicit under his name for any project or activity.

He said he and his family shoulder the cost for his outreach programs in his hometown Mulanay in Quezon province “with the help of some well-meaning friends who directly offer to me their assistance or contributions.”

He asked those approached for bogus solicitation activities to immediately report them to the Office of the Secretary in the DOJ. —DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN