PAOCC, HPG ask DepEd’s help to solve teachers’ scamming by car theft ring
THE Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) have asked the help of the Department of Education in convincing dozens of teachers from Pampanga to file criminal charges against a car theft ring that has victimized them, officials said Monday.
“We are seeking the help of the Dep-Ed in encouraging the aggrieved teacher to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the illegal activities of a group involved in modern-day car theft in the country,” said PAOCC Executive Director Gilbert DC Cruz.
A PNP-HPG and PAOCC investigation showed that at least 60 teachers from six Pampanga high schools have fallen prey to the illegal activities of the syndicate said to be led by a certain ‘Roel A.’
The teachers came from three high schools in Arayat, one from San Fernando City and two from Sasmuan.
The joint HPG-PAOCC investigation about the scamming of the teachers is focused on the group of ‘Roel A,’ who is said to be involved in ‘Labas-Casa/Loan Accommodation/Assume Balance’ car theft fraud.
Members of the gang were found to have enticed Pampanga teachers to avail of a car loan that their company supposedly would use to start a Grab business.
In return, the teachers were promised a monthly return of P18,000 to as much as P30,000 as well as a monthly amount to cover the amortization of the mortgaged vehicles.
However, as soon as they have found a victim, they would sell his/her mortgaged vehicles to other people typically thru the so-called ‘Assume Balance’ plan without the teacher’s knowledge or approval.
Furthermore, the victims would merely receive a stipend and would soon discover that the monthly amortization and returns would either stop at any time or may not occur at all.
The HPG-PAOCC investigation also showed that the syndicate would also file for car loans using the forged paperworks from their teacher-victims and have the vehicles released without their knowledge or consent as the teachers cannot provide the gang with evidence of income or signed loan documents that the banks require.
From May 24, 2023 to present, the PNP-HPG and the PAOCC have assisted several victims of the syndicate but only 18 teachers gave useful information while the rest declined to assist investigators for fear of an administrative backlash from their schools.
Other victims are not cooperating with the police because of their alleged strong relationship and confidence with members of the syndicate.
Last July 26, criminal complaints were filed by the PNP-HPG against members of the syndicate before the Pampanga Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.
However, the same office last August advised the PNP-HPG and the PAOCC to withdraw the complaint and file them instead before the Provincial Prosecutor of Bataan, the City Prosecutor of San Jose del Monte City and the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office amid findings that the vehicles involved in the scheme were released in Toyota branches in Bataan, San Jose del Monte City and Quezon City.
