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Monday, May 09, 2005
Organization members urged to verify status
By Ernie Olson Jr.
A WARNING was issued Sunday to members of organized groups and foundations based in the Cordillera region to verify their official status with their respective offices to make sure that their membership applications have been duly registered in their ledger of records.
This developed after five complainants reported that a volunteer worker of the Baguio-Benguet Association of Retired Persons (Barp) Foundation, who was said to have gone absent without any official leave (Awol), allegedly collected various fees from some 'prospective' members using falsified receipts.
Ricardo Pangan, regional director of the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI), identified the respondent in these cases as Arsenio Caoile of Ambuklao Road.
Pangan said several supposed Barp Foundation members filed complaints against Caoile after they paid him membership fees amounting to P1,500 and Special Mutual Assistance Program fees of P500 on various occasions last year.
However, the complainants said after they returned to the Barp Foundation office to pay their annual dues months later, they were surprised to discover that they were not listed as official members.
"After a verification we made with Royal Printers, which printed their official receipts, it was found out that the receipt issued to them by Caoile was not printed by them," Pangan said.
The NBI regional director said although the Barp Foundation itself is legitimate, it is presumed that the payments they made was misappropriated by the suspect.
The complainants said despite efforts on their part afterwards, they failed to locate Caoile at his given address until they learned that numerous others were similarly victimized by the suspect.
Pangan said criminal charges were filed against Caoile before the City Prosecutor's Office for his alleged violations of Article 315 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended, or for swindling by falsification of documents.
"Others persons, if they find out that they were also victimized in the same manner, may come to our office for the filing of additional charges against the suspect," he said.
(May 9, 2005 issue)
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