Police arrested a businesswoman in Manila after she was allegedly caught selling thousands of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-branded non-food relief kits marked “not for sale.”
According to Inquirer.net, operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) conducted an entrapment operation on Thursday night at a warehouse along Juan Luna Street in Tondo. Authorities said the suspect was offering 6,000 kits—each priced at P2,588 and containing clothing items—amounting to P15.5 million in total.
CIDG National Capital Region chief Lt. Col. John Guiagui told reporters, “You will see the DSWD logo there. The Bagong Pilipinas logo is there and, worse, you’ll see ‘not for sale’ there.” He added that the suspect claimed to be a supplier of the DSWD and described the goods as “excess supply,” but stressed that government-marked relief packs should not be sold under any circumstance.
Guiagui also revealed that the businesswoman admitted to having previously sold similar relief packs to another buyer, though the CIDG has yet to determine how many were sold and to whom. “They say they can reproduce more,” he said.
CIDG spokesperson Maj. Helen dela Cruz confirmed that the suspect will face charges for violating Section 19 (e) of Republic Act No. 10121, which prohibits selling disaster relief goods, and Article 179 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes the illegal use of government insignia.
In a statement, the DSWD denied any involvement in the scheme. “The items discovered during the entrapment operation… are in no way owned, operated or affiliated with the DSWD. No DSWD personnel were involved,” dela Cruz said, quoting the agency. She added that the department fully supports the investigation and is ready to take legal action against those responsible.
The arrested suspect refused to issue any comment when approached by reporters in Camp Crame.
