Charges have been filed against a businesswoman who was arrested for selling over P15 million in relief kits with the logo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Tondo, Manila, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.
Complaints for violation of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act and illegal use of insignia have been filed against the suspect, known only as Janice, who was nabbed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in a warehouse in Barangay 56 on Thursday.
Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has ordered an investigation to determine the supply chain, from their point of origin to their illegal resale in the black market, and why the relief goods have DSWD markings.
‘What’s the purpose and where will the proceeds of the would-be sale of these items go?’ Nartatez said at a news briefing.
Nartatez also wants to know the identities of Janice’s cohorts.
The businesswoman was apprehended after she sold 6,000 boxes of family kits for P2,588 each to police who posed as buyers.
Each family kit contains towels, slippers, t-shirts and underwear for adults and children.
Nartatez reminded the public that government relief goods are for victims of calamities and are not for sale.
‘Anyone who tries to exploit the suffering of our countrymen for personal gain will face the full force of the law,’ he said.