Efforts to conceal scam-related crimes probed

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -  Efforts by some policemen to whitewash incidents in Pagadian related to the Aman Futures Group investment scam are being investigated, an official said.

Chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles, regional police director for Western Mindanao, said criminal incidents related to the scam were not reported to them by the police units in the area.

According to Estilles, there were three instances when suspects destroyed or hid pieces of evidence relating to the scam a few weeks after the collapse of the investment operations in Pagadian but went unreported to them.

Among the cases were the ransacking  one of the properties of an Aman operator and pillage of the house of an investor that occurred sometime in September.

“There was an attempt to cover-up the incidents, that is why we are investigating the police [in the area], who were relieved,"  Estilles said.

Estilles has relieved the Pagadian City chief of police, the provincial police director and seven other personnel from the provincial police intelligence unit.

The sacked police officials include Senior Superintendent William Manzan and Superintendent Kenneth Mission. Manzan, Mission and a few others are currently undergoing retraining at the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) in Barangay Mercedez in this city.

Meanwhile, Estilles said there has been no surge of scam-related crimes after pre-emptive police security operations were implemented following the collapse of the Aman Futures Groups operation under Fernando Luna alias Nonoy in Pagadian City and the nearby Zamboanga del Sur province.

He said President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the implementation of the tightened security after receiving reports of rising number of crimes.

Estilles also appealed to the scam victims to refrain from taking the law into their hands, but should file a complaint before proper authorities.  - Roel Pareño