Baclaran church warns faithful vs fake collectors

MANILA, Philippines - The faithful attending Mass at Baclaran church should be wary of people pretending to be collectors assigned to gather donations, the church’s rector said yesterday.

Fr. Victorino Cueto, rector of the church – also known as the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and the Redemptorist Church – said they have been receiving complaints from parishioners that there were unauthorized people collecting money.

“I just hope that these people would respect the church and the intention of the parishioners. The intention of the parishioners is to help the church in its programs especially in our social mission apostolate. Their act of trickery will never be justified,” he said.

Cueto said one parishioner gave money to a collector before the homily. She was surprised to see another collector going around after the homily and asked if there was a second collection.

Church officials told her that “we  never had any second collection in Baclaran (church), and that was when she realized that she had been duped,” Cueto said.

He said these incident prompted church officials to “make public announcements, every now and then, for the churchgoers to exercise caution especially during this Christmas season when there are many people.”

Church officials have also deployed security personnel round the clock and required collectors to wear identification cards and official uniforms, which are changed annually.

Cueto said they will upgrade the church’s closed-circuit television camera system to better identify the fake collectors.