Woman selling DSWD relief goods worth P15.5M nabbed in Manila —CIDG

A suspect was arrested in Tondo, Manila for allegedly selling relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said Friday.

In a statement, the CIDG identified the suspect as “Janice.”

Around 6,000 boxes of DSWD family kits with “Not for Sale” tags worth P15,520,000 were seized in a warehouse in Barangay 56 during the operation.

CIDG acting director Police Major General Robert Morico II said the police conducted the operation from 10 p.m. on Thursday to 4:30 a.m. on Friday after receiving a report about the illegal activity.

According to the CIDG, the sale of DSWD relief goods is a violation of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. The illegal use of insignia is also prohibited under the Revised Penal Code.

“I commend the CIDG National Capital Region Regional Field Unit headed by PLTCOL John K Guiagui, Regional Chief and DSWD for the arrest of the suspect and the confiscation of the supposed relief goods. It underscores our commitment in upholding the law. Maraming salamat sa inyo,” Morico said.

In a separate statement, the DSWD said that the agency is not connected to the raided warehouse in Manila.

"The DSWD is in no way affiliated with the raided warehouse. No DSWD personnel is in any way involved in the reported illegal act,” DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.

Dumlao lamented that the illegal activity undermined DSWD’s integrity and credibility. 

"As we face calamities one after another, it is possible that this is not an isolated business wanting to capitalize on the weaknesses of disaster affected families. 

“Maligning the efforts of DSWD's free public service delivery will also adversely impact on the poor and vulnerable sectors we serve, especially those suffering from calamities, like the survivors of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake," she added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News