Mayors, police told: Watch out for fake DILG personnel

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) - Cebu Province has warned town mayors and the police of unscrupulous people allegedly claiming to be affiliated with the agency to gain favors.

DILG provincial officer Jerome Gonzales said an advisory will be sent to the mayors and the police chiefs to alert them.

The DILG Central Office in Manila has received reports about some groups allegedly using DILG logo in order to hasten government-related processes or solicit funds.

“Reports have reached this Department that certain individuals claiming to be media practitioners are unscrupulously using the DILG’s name and logo for purposes of solicitation, sponsorship, recruitment, production of their materials, and securing other favors from local government units and even from field offices of the Department,” read a DILG memorandum.

Gonzales admitted that there have been similar instances in Cebu prior to the barangay elections but were not done by media practitioners. He recalled that some poised as organizers of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) group last year. The group wore shirts with the DILG logo and went around the northern towns.

Later on, he found out that some of the group’s members ran for public office. He added that the logo may have been used to gain popular favor from the public’s perspectives.

“Please be warned and do not entertain any invitation from the group. All are advised to immediately report to the authorities any encounter with such individuals or their bogus group and all other related incidents involving similar schemes,” the memorandum added.

To relay this information to the local government units, Gonzales said that he plans to reiterate the DILG memorandum by cascading it to the local chief executives.

He emphasized that there is only one city or municipal local government operations officer (LGOO) in each local government unit except in highly urbanized cities where additional staff are hired to support the LGOO.

“I-challenge gyud nila ang identity. Pwede sila makapangutana sa LGOO to check,” he told reporters.

Mitchelle Palaubsanon, president of the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ), said that legitimate media practitioners in Cebu never resort to such activity.

“Dili na uso sa legitimate media in Cebu mogamit-gamit og logo sa mga government agencies para mag solicit. Pero og naa man gani, dili na member sa CFBJ,” she said.

“Any sighting of such illegal act involving any legitimate member of the federation, must be reported to me aron akoa nang kastiguhon,” she added. (FREEMAN)