Public warned vs. fraudulent solicitation scheme

MANILA – Malacañang on Tuesday warned the public against falling for an unauthorized solicitation of unscrupulous individuals who are pretending to be officials or employees of the Office of the President (OP).

“This is to forewarn the public that some unscrupulous individuals have been posing as officials or employees of the Office of the President, or name-dropping them to make fraudulent schemes to solicit funds from the public,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said in a public notice.

Medialdea said the OP has not authorized any of its personnel to solicit money or other valuable things from the public.

“Please report immediately any unauthorized activity to 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center,” he said.

This was not the first time the OP was used in fraudulent schemes like fake solicitation.

Scammers have repeatedly used the names of Medialdea, as well as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo for fraudulent solicitation scheme.

Under Presidential Decree 46, government workers are prohibited to directly or indirectly receive any gift or any form of benefit in the course of official duties.

Any public official or employee who will violate the presidential decree will face imprisonment of up to five years, perpetual disqualification from public office, and other accessory penalties.

Violators will also be subject to administrative disciplinary action.

The penalty of suspension or removal, depending on the seriousness of the offense, will be meted out in the event violators are found guilty of receiving gift or any form of benefit.