Website exposing alleged irregularities 'hurting' Angeles City, says police chief

ANGELES CITY – This city is “already hurting” because of a website exposing alleged anomalies and naming local officials purportedly involved in them, the city police chief said yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Pierre Bucsit said city officials have remained helpless due to lack of means to have the website scrapped.

He said there are yet no solid evidence on suspicions that the website is authored by a Filipino-American woman living in this city.

The website (centralluzoncorruption.com) is reportedly accessed by thousands each week from all over the world since it came out earlier this year.

It warns potential foreign tourists and those already here against pedophilia frame-ups for extortion with local officials and policemen allegedly behind them, among other alleged anomalies.

“Angeles is already hurting because of the website,” Bucsit said in a meeting with the local media hosted by Mayor Francis Nepomuceno.

There are reports that fewer tourists have visited the city since the website surfaced.

The website, however, seems to have created some security for expatriates and foreign tourists here. 

It has threatened to come out with more exposes against some members of the local police unless they stop their alleged extortion activities against foreigners.

An American expatriate, who requested anonymity, told The STAR that the website’s allegations were “largely credible.” He has been a businessman here for many years.

While the website largely zeroes in on alleged anomalies in the city, it also highlights cases in other parts of the country such as Baguio City and Nueva Ecija.

It has an article titled “Angeles City, set-up capital of the P.I.,” referring to alleged cases of policemen framing up and extorting from foreigners.

It cited the case of Australian national Dr. Steven Soul who fled to his country after lawmen allegedly set him up in a purported frustrated rape attempt on a minor.

Soul met with The STAR and other local journalists before he flew to Australia and insisted that he was merely framed up.

The Australian embassy recently sought the help of the Department of Justice on his behalf after a local woman asked to be placed under the government’s witness protection program, admitting in an affidavit that she participated in Soul’s alleged frame-up.

A policeman, who was tagged by the website as allegedly one of the perpetrators of the extortion activities against foreigners, recently filed libel charges against an American woman whom he suspected to be behind the website. The woman has resided in the city for some years.

The policeman, who asked not to be named, denied the allegations, saying he had evidence that the American woman was behind the website.

He said his photo on the website was taken by this woman during his meeting with some officials of the city prosecutor’s office.

He added that a British expert he knew was able to trace the source of the website in Hong Kong.

He cited reports that the American woman had met here with some Chinese tourists who he suspected might have helped her put up the website.