A priest and a barangay official are warning Bacolod residents against persons offering to buy their national government issued identification cards.
Fr. Chris Gonzales, Triumph of the Holy Cross parish priest in Barangay Estefania, said he was informed that IDs were being purchased from residents living behind the Palm Haven cemetery by persons who appeared to be Chinese nationals for P300 to P400.
Gonzales said he reported the incident to the police and Estefania Barangay Captain Gerry Tingson as the sale of government issued identification cards could be a threat to national security.
He was later informed that two female Chinese nationals were arrested, and the buying of national government issued IDs was also happening in other parts of Bacolod, Gonzales said.
A tricycle driver said two Chinese nationals who went to Purok Arabay 2 in Barangay Estefania last month offered him P400 in exchange for allowing them to take pictures of his two government issued IDs, which included his driver’s license.
They said they would create an account for him on GCash so he could join their gaming activities, the driver added.
Tingson said he was informed that six persons in his barangay sold their identification cards.
The barangay captain said he was also informed that the woman involved not only takes identification card information, she allegedly uses the data to make fake IDs.
Capt. Francis Depasucat, Bacolod Police Station 4 chief, said the person they invited in for questioning in June was a Chinese-Filipino who has a stall at a Bacolod mall.
However, they could not detain her as they were no complainants who came forward, he said.
The woman is a Filipino national who speaks Ilonggo and Tagalog, Depasucat said.
The woman alleged that they were just registering residents so they could avail of E-wallets.*