BEHIND THE SCENES

FrankSwiss, jueteng and rare officials
Alfred P. Dizon

It’s a wonder why there are still many people who become suckers when it comes to “networking” or get-rich-quick schemes. Like Dracula, conmen of these illegal companies have sucked the blood off unsuspecting clients by taking their hard-earned money, and disappeared without a trace. A few have been arrested but then, money of their victims was not returned.

FrankSwiss was the latest and touted as international. There were four people who tried to talk me into joining the company, but I guess I’ve learned my lesson. There were representatives of companies in the past who tried to convince me to join them. I’ve plunged a modest amount of money in at least two companies only to discover later the moolah disappeared into thin air by magicians.

Since they had products to sell, I thought everything was legitimate. They had brochures of their products like shoes and garments. But when I asked for these since I paid for the commodities, they told me I would have to wait for a while for the stocks to arrive. These may have been mistakenly shipped to the moon as the goods never arrived.

Then, there were others who said they wanted to “give huge amounts of money” to us if we followed their networking formula of convincing people to join and invest money in the company.

Gosh, these women could really talk the briefs off any man. As an Ilocano saying goes – “awan masapa a babawi.” In the case of FrankSwiss, they told me to invest P50,000 in the company and I would get the amount back in 23 days since I could withdraw more than P2,000 a day. They said in 23 days, I would have gotten back my capital and would still have P50,000 with the company. It would depend, they said, if I would like to invest the money for another 23 days.

It was very tempting. They told me even if the company would collapse, I would have gotten my money back since the company just started operations. One said there would be a “presentation” at the Baguio Country Club on how to get rich through FrankSwiss and would I please join if I wanted to get rich too?

“Wala a ang diaryo mo kumpara dito (FrankSwiss) pag ROI (return of investment) ang pinag-uusapan,” he said. He said a lot of people who benefited from the scheme would give their testimonies on how they acquired their expensive houses, brand new spunky vehicles and ala artista mistresses.

Smelling a scam, I said I would think it over, even if I didn’t want to join. Two days later, a story was splashed on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer saying FrankSwiss was a scam. I was also informed by some recruits who went to the BCC that National Bureau of Investigation agents from Manila arrested those who introduced themselves as officials of the company. The agents reportedly handcuffed a man identified as Eleazar Castillo who was presenting figures of profit on the board.

When I saw later one of those who tried to recruit me, I told him maybe I would deposit my money with the company if its president would personally talk to me and if he would make a promissory note that he would not abscond my money (like I had money in the first place.)

His face turned red like an apple. He said the company was lying low and would resurrect once the brouhaha on its being illegal was over. Since we were in an internet café, I told him to open the FrankSwiss website but it was nowhere to be found. Maybe, I should email Sandra Bullock, that pretty Hollywood actress to find the site for me. After all, with her expertise in the movie The Net, maybe, she could help also victims of the scam by locating the conmen or women and their addresses so people who lost money could hang them to high heavens.

It is a wonder, but I hear, a lot of popular and rich people not only in Manila but Baguio including politicians, police officials, businessmen, actors and their families have also been victimized by these scam artists. Goes to show when huge amounts of money are involved, even the so-called decent persons become greedy.

Next time somebody tries to talk you into joining a get-rich-quick networking company, check first with the Securities and Exchange Commission if they are for real. If not run as fast as you can from the glib talker before you buy his words.

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It is greed which is also making some officials and members of law enforcement agencies turn a blind eye when it comes to jueteng. To date operators are still raking in a lot of money from the illegal numbers game not only in Baguio and Benguet but all over northern and Central Luzon. As Bishop Cruz said earlier, jueteng couldn’t thrive in places where local officials and the police don’t want it.

Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Ismael Rafanan’s statement that there is no jueteng in his jurisdiction because “We have not caught anybody” should be this country’s entry to the Guinness World Book of Records as “Most believable jueteng statement” – for him.

Rafanan was reacting to Gov. Panlilio’s accusation that jueteng was prevalent in the province. Let us face it: almost every stakeholder in jueteng is on the take. During his stint as regional police director in the Cordillera, Chief Supt. Virtus Gil was able to stop jueteng. Immediately when he sat down as regional police chief, I don’t know why of all people, he sought us out to brief him on concerns he needed to address.

It turned out, I had a friend at Camp Crame where he was previously based who recommended us as a source if he wanted an objective view from a newsman’s perspective on what was happening in the Cordillera in terms of peace and order.

We talked at the 50s Diner along Abanao Road where I told him, if he wanted to get far in his career, he should first put a stop to jueteng in the Cordillera. He apparently heeded our advice since after that, all jueteng operators packed their bags due to nonstop operations against the numbers game.

His star has since gone up after he left. He became chief of directorate of the Philippine National Police. It is a pity though that he didn’t make it as PNP chief. But then on hindsight, I guess the officials who didn’t want him to sit as PNP chief obviously didn’t want his hard-line stance against jueteng. During his term, he was able to implement doable programs which also greatly reduced crime in the region. He is one of the few police officers I respect. Police officials not only in the Cordillera but in northern and Central Luzon could emulate his example.
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Speaking of exemplary officials, newly-elected Gov. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. is also one rare breed. Baguilat was introduced to me by Ramon Dacawi, information chief of Baguio City government in the mid 90s when the former was still mayor of his hometown Kiangan.

I could see then he was brimming with idealism and it is good he has retained his fervor for good governance by starting a program to stop graft and corruption in government offices in the province.

Wearing a journalist’s vest during his oathtaking, Baguilat in his inaugural speech at the Ifugao capitol plaza said his vest represented his battle against graft and corruption. “I hope to establish monitors in the different offices of the capitol to ensure that SOP (Kickbacks) and bribes are not committed during my administration,” Baguilat said. “I wear my journalist’s vest to emphasize that as public servants, we should serve truthfully and with honesty because that is a journalist’s training-crusade against corruption.”

Vency Bulayungan, provincial chief of the Philippine Information Agency said Baguilat, 41, who won as governor in 2002 but lost in the 2004 gubernatorial race, pledged he would consult organizations to help him carry out this mission. Bulayungan said Baguilat wanted to “reach out to civil society partners such as religious groups, cooperatives, socio-civic organizations to build a strong movement against corruption.”

He stated his administration would provide civil society training to make them strong partners on local governance, project monitoring and evaluation. Baguilat headed the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement, a non-government organization based in Kiangan after he lost the 2004 elections.

He said creation of an anti-graft office under the office of the provincial administrator would reduce red tape and minimize graft and corruption. “The group will closely monitor all offices under the provincial government in order that corruption will be minimized if not eradicated,” he said.

Baguilat who took his oath before Antonio Nidogma Jr, President of the Association of Barangay Captains in the municipality of Kiangan, also warned the police to stop jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling in Lagawe and Ifugao.

He said jueteng is bad because it encourages false hopes and laziness among the people. ”The presence of jueteng is also a sign that the PNP and chief executives of the place are powerless to establish law and order or are in cahoots with criminals of the area. Kaya sa mga nagpapajueteng, simulan ninyo nang mag isip ng bagong pamaraan ng pamumuhay na marangal,” Baguilat said.

An unsolicited piece of advice to Baguilat: recommend the transfer of the provincial chief of police if he can’t stop jueteng in one week. This also goes to other governors of provinces if they are really sincere in stopping the menace.

As to his anti-graft body, he should include private individuals of integrity like those from NGOs and religious sectors not only as consultants but as members who would be given government authority to act on such matters and maybe, the juetengeros would also pack their bags if the heat becomes unbearable.