After apprehension over unlawful dental follow in Benguet, authorities uncover Jun Jun and Catherine Banal have been operating away from swindling and different prices associated to their automobile rental enterprise in Pampanga
PAMPANGA, Philippines – A married couple operating away from an alleged automobile rental rip-off was arrested on August 2 for illegally practising dentistry of their residence in Sablan, Benguet.
The Philippine Nationwide Police (PNP) Legal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Baguio Metropolis apprehended Jun Jun Banal and spouse, Catherine, throughout an entrapment operation for alleged violation of the Philippine Dental Act of 2007. They’re at the moment detained in Tuba, Benguet.
The authorities seized assorted dental tools from their three-storey residence. The native Philippine Dental Affiliation chapter had beforehand suspected the couple of practising dentistry with out legitimate licenses.
The couple’s arrest was only for suspected unlawful dental follow. It was solely from additional investigations by the PNP Freeway Patrol Group (HPG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Fee (PAOCC), that authorities discovered the couple was concerned in a large-scale automobile rental rip-off in Pampanga known as the Param Automotive Rental Companies.
The Banal couple had excellent warrants of arrest as early as October 2023 for critical offenses that included large-scale swindling, carnapping, and estafa. The fees have been filed towards them earlier than the Angeles Metropolis Regional Trial Court docket, in addition to the Mabalacat Metropolis Municipal Trial Court docket.
Shady automobile rental enterprise
Police Main Joseph Tayaban, investigation chief of the HPG Cordillera Administrative Area, mentioned the couple conspired and collaborated to falsely symbolize Param Automotive Rental as a professional funding firm. Tayaban mentioned the couple have been capable of amass a complete of P300 million from not less than 149 people earlier than the couple fled to Sablan to keep away from seize.
“Suspects used and marketed an organization identify, Param Automotive Rental, [and conspired and mutually aided] each other in fraudulent representations and false manifestation that they have been a professional funding firm, providing 10% curiosity month-to-month. They collected kind of P300 million from a number of victims, then went into hiding in Sablan, Benguet to evade their complainants and the authorities,” Tayaban informed Rappler on Friday, August 9.
Paperwork obtained by Rappler confirmed that Param Automotive Rental was registered below the Bureau of Inner Income in June 2018 and with the Division of Commerce and Business by November 2019. The Mabalacat Metropolis enterprise allow and licensing workplace issued a enterprise allow in 2021.
The Banals have been additionally residents of Mabalacat Metropolis, Pampanga. They tried operating to be barangay officers in Barangay Sapang Biabas in Mabalacat Metropolis. Nevertheless, their warrants of arrest have been issued every week earlier than the barangay elections in October 2023.
In a separate interview posted on the HPG’s Fb web page, Jun Jun defended his firm, asserting that their enterprise is respected in Pampanga. Jun Jun claimed that every one buyers noticed returns on their investments and pointed to the presence of billboards alongside main thoroughfares similar to in Angeles Metropolis and alongside North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as proof of their professional enterprise operations.
“Sikat na sikat kami sa Pampanga. Might nanira lang po talaga. Ganyan po ang nangyari. Lahat ng buyers ko, kumita na po sila. Bumalik na ‘yung puhunan pero tumutubo pa po ang mga pera. Papaano masasabi na rip-off po kami? Might billboard po kami dalawa. Isa sa Abacan, isa sa NLEX. Papaano magiging rip-off ‘yun, ang tagal na ng enterprise namin? Ang dami naming enterprise. Lahat ng buyers namin, lahat ng sasakyan nila nabalik. Walang hindi nabalik,” mentioned Jun Jun.
(We’re highly regarded in Pampanga. Somebody is simply sabotaging us. That’s what occurred. All my buyers made cash. Their investments have returned already and they’re nonetheless incomes. How may we be known as a rip-off? We’ve two billboards. One in Abacan, one in NLEX. How can that be a rip-off? We’ve been in enterprise for a very long time. We’ve a variety of enterprise. The entire automobiles of our buyers have been returned. Not one has not been returned.)
One of many victims, Daniel Sumang, informed Rappler in an interview on August 8 that he was initially enticed by the couple’s promise of excessive month-to-month returns starting from 12% to fifteen%. Nevertheless, he solely acquired P200,000, a fraction of what was anticipated.
Sumang invested a complete of P4.6 million below six franchise settlement contracts between June 2021 to Might 2022. Data present that the Banal couple has an impressive obligation of P11.078 million to Sumang, based mostly on the paperwork obtained by Rappler.
Sumang mentioned he was persuaded when the Banal couple talked about {that a} well-known company was amongst their enterprise companions.
“Ikit mi ya itang put up keng Fb tapus minawus kami keta quantity na. Pepapuntalan da kami karela, keng opisina ra. Anyang akit mi keng opisina ketang Param Automotive Rental atin no man enterprise allow keng munisipyo. Inalukan ra kami mumuna 12% anya pinayag kami. After a month atin yang i-aluk 15% anya pematulan mi la,” Sumang informed Rappler in Kapampangan language.
(We noticed their commercial posted on Fb and known as their quantity. They requested us to go to their Param Automotive Rental workplace the place we discovered they’ve a enterprise allow from the municipal corridor. Initially they supplied us 12%, that’s why we agreed. After a month, they elevated the provide to fifteen%.)
“Ikit ku karela anya me-engganyu ku keng provide da uling papakit da atin la enterprise accomplice ibat airport, resort, San Miguel (Company). Mika interesadu ku keng San Miguel uling balu ku maragul yang kumpanya ing San Miguel. Makanyan kaming milub,” he added.
(I used to be enticed by their provide as a result of in addition they claimed to have enterprise companions from the airport, lodges, and San Miguel Company. I used to be significantly interested by San Miguel as a result of I do know it’s a main firm. That’s how we determined to enroll.)
In the meantime, PAOCC affirmed its dedication to hunt justice for any further victims of the couple’s fraudulent actions, and proceed to assist the PNP in its efforts to suppress organized crime all through the nation. – Rappler.com
