Monday, November 12, 2012

Roxas orders hunt for money scam’s head


THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered a manhunt for the suspected leader of a “double-your-money” scam that reportedly victimized more than 10,000 people in Mindanao. Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas was in Cebu yesterday to coordinate with Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Marcelo Garbo and PRO 7 Deputy Director for Operations Supt. Louie Oppus for the possible arrest of Manuel Amalilio, owner of Aman Futures Trading. Amalilio is reportedly a resident of Cebu City. Roxas was in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur where Amalilio allegedly duped some 10,000 residents out of billions of pesos in money placements. Other victims Roxas said Amalilio also tricked residents of other parts of Mindanao, including those in Marawi City and Lanao del Norte. Amalilio might have also victimized Cebuanos, he added. He took the hard-earned money that retirees, teachers, police, farmers, and even pastors supposedly invested in his company, said Roxas. In a news conference last night, Roxas said Amalilio registered Cebu City as one of his addresses. He is said to be living in B. Rodriguez Extension in Barangay Guadalupe. Roxas said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was able to verify the address. Malaysia connection But Amalilio has been reportedly seen in Malaysia. Amalilio is reportedly a Filipino of Malaysian descent. He said he hopes that with the help of the local police, authorities will be able to catch Amalilio. “Itong malawak na financial pyramiding scam ay isang masagwa, pangit at napakasamang gawain. Gagawin natin ang lahat para mahuli yung mga perpetrators (This is pyramiding scam is ugly. Let us do everything to arrest the perpetrators),” he added. Amalilio, Roxas said, did not operate alone. Roxas said Amalilio and his incorporators invited people to invest in Aman and get high returns of at least 30 percent. The cash transactions did not go through banks. This is why, Roxas said there is no assurance that the money taken by Amalilio will be recovered. “It’s hard to the monitor cash movement,” he added. Aside from PNP and NBI, Roxas said they have also tapped the help of the Department of Justice and the International Police (Interpol) in the investigation and hunt for Amalilio.