PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. on Wednesday ordered the administrative relief of Brigadier Gen. John G. Guyguyon as director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Administrative Region (PRO-BAR) amid the two “syndicated estafa” cases the latter is facing.

Designated as BARMM police director on August 8 last year, Guyguyon turned himself over to officers of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in connection with the warrant of arrest issued against him by Judge Catherine P. Manondon of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 104 on December 1 last year.

Judge Kathleen Rosario dela Cruz of the QC RTC Branch 91 also issued a 2nd warrant of arrest against the 1-star police general, who has appealed his case before proper judicial authorities.

On Wednesday morning, members of the PNP-CIDG served the warrants of arrest for syndicated estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) issued against Guyguyon inside his office in Camp Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.

PRO-BAR Deputy Regional Director for Administration, Brig. Gen. Gil Francis G. Tria was designated as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the regional police force in the meantime.

PNP Director for Investigation and Detective Management (PNP-DIDM), Major Gen. Eliseo DC Cruz said the warrant of arrest issued against Guyguyon and six others for syndicated estafa is in the PNP’s Enhanced E-Warrant System.

The official was earlier directed to appear personally before PNP-CIDG Director Brig. Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. to face the law. On Wednesday, Caramat ordered the BAR CIDG Regional Field Unit (RFU) to serve the warrants of arrest against the accused.

Also being hunted by the PNP-CIDG are the general’s six other co-accused.

Court records showed that at least nine people filed syndicated estafa charges against the accused, whom they claimed represented “BUILD” as a “legitimate loan/financing company.”

The nine complainants said they are members of the Upper Dirham Association, a group of informal settlers in North Fairview, QC, who were asked to pay a P25,000 “mobilization fee” and later a P350,000 “equity” for their P1 million loan.

The complainants said they paid the amount in installments.

However, the nine claimed they later discovered that the owner of the parcel of land they were buying did not receive any payment from BUILD. The complainants said that when they sent a demand letter to the accused telling them to refund their money, they were issued a check worth P363,335, which bounced due to insufficiency of funds as certified by the concerned bank.

The respondents failed to attend the scheduled preliminary investigation and did not submit their counter-affidavits to the court.

The complaint was later submitted to resolution in which the respondents were indicted for syndicated estafa with no bail recommended.

Some Camp Crame officials said they are looking into reports that Guyguyon himself was a “victim” of a scam perpetrated by some of his co-accused.