BACOLOD City Councilor Caesar Distrito warned the public against unidentified persons using the name of Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao or his office to solicit money or to engage in a transaction.
Distrito, chairperson of the City Council committee on laws, said on Thursday, March 22, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a memorandum upon the request of Pacquiao not to acknowledge any person claiming to transact on his behalf.
“Pacquiao did not authorize anybody to use his name for a transaction, especially here in Bacolod,” he said.
If someone is asking a favor or any assistance using Pacquiao’s name, Distrito said they should verify it first with his office in Manila.
“So far, we have not yet received a report of those who are asking money or load,” he said.
Distrito recalled that last year, unidentified persons were also using his name to call someone for a prepaid load and attempted to victimize three officers of three major public and private hospitals in Bacolod.
He said the suspects, who are pretending to be in a hurry, will ask for cellphone load between P300 to P5,000.
“Let’s verify the information first to avoid similar incidents. It is fraud and they can be charged for estafa,” he added.