BALANGA CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard Bataan Station on Friday filed cases against four suspected leaders of an alleged fake PCG auxiliary group at the Bataan Prosecutor’s Office here Friday.
PCG Bataan Station Commander Jonathan S. Serote at the Port of Lamao in Limay town said they have filed complaints for estafa, usurpation of authority, and unlawful use of logo and insignias against the respondents.
The commander said the four are leaders of the 101st Balangay PCGA, Inc. of Quezon City which he said is not authorized by PCG.
Serote filed the cases at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in the presence of more than 50 of the more or less 480 alleged victims of recruitment from different towns in Bataan.
The “recruits” were allegedly promised certain benefits like membership to a cooperative after joining the group pretending to be a PCG auxiliary group that Serote said was a scam.
He said that they have filed cases for usurpation of authority for unauthorized wearing of PCG uniform and unauthorized use of logs and insignias of the PCG, PCGA and Department of Transportation.
Estafa for allegedly fooling the victims who spent more or less P18,000 each for uniforms, transportation, insignias and documents, the CG official said.
“Ang araw na ito ay tagumpay para sa mga kababayan na taga-Bataan na siyang nabiktima ng sinasabing 101st Balangay dahil today ang PCG ay magpa-file ng cases against this illegitimate PCGA na nanlinlang, nanggoyo at nanloko ng kababayan natin sa Bataan,” Serote said.
Antonio Allecer, construction worker of Mariveles, Bataan, said he was among the first batch of “recruits” of the group last August 2022 and had twice undergone training in formation, drills, and swimming in Morong, Bataan.
He said that the first batch consisted of about 40 persons and in their meetings, the formation of a cooperative and livelihoods were discussed. “Walang hiningi sa amin at sariling gastos lang talaga at ang mga pinagkagastusan namin ay ang gasolina, pangkain at tuwing meeting ay pamasahe.”
“Iba iba ang aming mga naging gastos dahil ang ibang na-recruit ay umabot ng P20,000 kasama ang uniforme,” Allecer and Melchor Castilar, 61, also of Mariveles, said.
“Nitong January 2023 lang namin nalaman na peke ito at naka-graduate na kami at nagsuot na ng uniporme. Pinuntahan kami sa bawat barangay namin ng 106th Coast Guard. Sila daw ang legit at kami ay peke at doon na namin nalaman na hindi pala totoo ang samahan namin,” Castilar, a fruit vendor, said.
“Ang gusto sana naming mangyari ay humingi kami ng tulong sa mga nanunungkulan at sa gobyerno na magkaroon kami ng medyo maayos na trabaho na kumikita,” Castilar said.
Allecer and Castilar wanted their expenses be reimbursed and if possible, they be accepted by the PCG as legitimate recruits.
“Ang kahilingan sana namin ay iayos ang kalagayan namin dahil iisa lang naman ang layunin namin at yon ay makatulong sa bayan kaya sana ay tanggapin kami ng coast guard at ituloy na lang ang serbisyo,” Allecer appealed.
