News reports last week about eight people duped into showing up at Malacañang Palace for their supposed oath-taking before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. tell of an unabated grand scam.
The victims named a certain Undersecretary Eduardo Eje Diokno and Assistant Secretary Johnson See who claimed to be from the Office of the Executive Secretary and instructed them to proceed to the Palace, only to find out they had been duped after they had paid a considerable amount of money.
It is not a surprise that the victims shelled out cash for these juicy high-ranking presidential-appointed positions: An ambassadorial post to the Netherlands; Transportation Assistant Secretary; Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority board member; Clark International Airport Corporation president and chief executive officer; Early Childhood Care and Development Council executive director and vice chairperson; Clark Development Corp. director; and Port of Batangas manager.
A statement from Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said the unfortunate “appointees” had paid millions of pesos for top-ranking government positions they had not been named to.
In 2020, a complaint lodged with the National Bureau of Investigation against two fraudsters also named Diokno and See might have prevented the latest Malacañang scandal from victimizing eight more people.
I can imagine how Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara spilled a distressing announcement to the “appointees” that no oath-taking ceremony was taking place, and that neither one of the two signatories in the oath-taking notice was connected to the OES.
Unbeknown to the victims and Palace officials, the names Undersecretary Eje Diokno and Assisant Secretary See were the subjects of fraud complaints filed before the NBI for allegedly scamming a businesswoman named Marichi Ramos of P266 million.
Based on the shelved complaint, which could be gathering dust mites in the NBI storage room, the businesswoman said she paid Diokno and See to secure a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office gaming license that she later found out to be fake.
Had the NBI done its job and made progress in investigating the complaint, charges could have been filed against Diokno and See. Who knows if the law enforcement agency invited the subject of the complaint in for an interview? As far as the complainant is concerned, however, her P266 million is down the drain and her predators are scot-free.
Eje Diokno, if he is the same person alluded to by the businesswoman and eight ‘appointees’, is not a hard man to find. He is said to be well known in the Philippine horse racing scene for winning and losing millions in high-stakes bets. He appears in several Youtube videos giving horse racing tips. Recently, Eje Diokno even made the social media scene as the boyfriend of a model/actress, whose Instagram photos show her seemingly completely decked out in designer brands and coddled in luxurious settings.
If we were to guess how much a government position was priced by the duo, we would base it on a source’s account. The source said a certain Eje Diokno may be facing a complaint for falsification of public documents for a deal where he was supposed to have been paid P47 million to secure Social Security System documents for the lease of a property in front of the Dampa on Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City.
Going back to the businesswoman’s P266 million fraud complaint against the duo, sources said the respondents were able to persuade the businesswoman by brandishing photos and electronic messages from Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Atty. Mans Carpio, Davao City Rep. Paulo Duterte, Charlie Atong Ang, and other influential figures.
This was outrightly disowned by Assistant Secretary Eymard D. Eje of the Office of the Vice President, who urged the public to report to the police the dubious transactions of anyone claiming to be his relative and connected with the Dutertes and Carpios.
Three years have gone by fast but not on the progress of Ramos’ fraud complaint against Eje and See, among the many others entrusted to the NBI. In the midst of an epidemic of scams, fraudsters have become bolder because they get off scot-free.
This may lead some to speculate on the extent of influence the two may have at the NBI but, trustfully, Justice Secretary Boying Remulla will take notice of Ramos’ complaint and of the eight duped “appointees” to save more people from falling victim to another scam.