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So you think phishing won’t happen to you

So you think phishing won’t happen to you

by | Jan 6, 2021 | Gotcha

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So you think phishing won’t happen to you

Image by vicky gharat from Pixabay

So you think phishing won’t happen to you

            This COVID-19 pandemic is a prolonged feast for cyberscammers. For them the massive shift to online shopping created an ocean of potential victims. Easy migration of everyday activities to the Web has kept us safe at home. But it also enticed conmen to diversify their schemes.

            Figures from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas dramatize the situation. During the strict ECQ lockdown of Mar. 15-May 18, 2020, an overwhelming 98.4 percent of all crimes reported were cyber in nature.

            In all P60.6 million were lost to online criminals. That’s more than half, 54.5 percent, of total bank losses from various causes during the two months.

            The BSP culled from banks’ Reports on Crimes and Losses:

  • Four in five incidents, 80.5 percent, were related to credit cards and internet banking;
  • Majority of cases were via phishing emails and malicious websites, some even disguised as COVID-19 campaigns.

            Emerging soon after emails did, phishing continues to evolve with technology. Phishers used to be amateurish; abundant grammatical errors in emails and crude websites gave them away. Eg., the Nigerian prince scam.

            Not anymore, warns Jonathan Paz, Bank of the Philippine Islands data protection and enterprise jnformation security officer. Phishing emails these days are tailored for specific audiences and leverage on real-world events. New schemes constantly are concocted.

            Banks and telcos combat phishing sites. Texts and other correspondence drum up awareness and advise on latest scams. Globe and Smart Telecoms frequently remind customers against impostors offering to replace SIM cards, fake surveys and raffle rewards, and unverified callers asking for one-time PINs (OTPs). At the peak of the lockdown from March to August 2020, BPI detected and helped take down almost 2,000 phishing sites.

Complacency is a pitfall. Those who readily agree and trust are scammed.

Jonathan Paz

Data Protection and Enterprise Information Security Officer - BPI

So you think phishing won’t happen to you

            The BSP recently announced to tighten its digital financial supervision. New technologies and regulations are to be adopted for digital banking, cloud computing, and virtual asset servicing.

            Banks continually invest in new processes, Paz says. He exemplifies BPI’s Mobile Key. Clients can transact using mobiles keyed specifically to their accounts. Biometrics, either fingerprint or face scan, enable logins. OTPs are texted and emails alert them upon login for extra security.

            Who are the common victims of phishing?

            A study profiled them. Less likely to fall prey are those who encountered and took time to understand awareness drives. As well, those who are more conscious of cybercrimes and skeptical of unusual promos.

            Those who readily agree and trust are scammed.

            Complacency is a pitfall, says Paz. People mistakenly believe that “it will not happen to me” or “this is something that happens only to others”. Then, wham!

            How to detect phishing emails? One, make it a habit to look at the sender’s email address. A legit email usually comes from a familiar domain. For instance, Paz says, official BPI electronic correspondence use the domain “@bpi.com.ph”. Two, most banks will not ask for sensitive info, such as online banking login name and password, credit card details, and OTPs. Anyone who asks for those is a fraudster.

            Vigilance is key to self-protection, since online shopping is here to stay.

* * *

            With the continuing lockdown, government is practically making all citizens go online. Not only techno-nervous adults are forced to learn the basics. Schoolchildren too must attend online classes or be left behind. Some oldsters can’t get the hang of transacting via the Net, but they at least know how to video-call family and friends.

            Yet the government itself is not fully digitalized. Many agencies still require face-to-face, window-by-window filing for even the simplest clearances. In renewing a driving license or securing a permit to travel home from stranding, only appointments can be set online. What more with complex dealings from which the government stands to earn big but the citizen or company is unable to transact safely from in-place.

            Bureaucrats complain that connectivity is so bad that it doesn’t pay to digitize. On the other hand Internet service providers invest and expand based only on market prospects.

            Since it’s the duty of government to ensure ease in doing business, it should break the impasse. Wire itself, and watch the industry grow.

            Studies show that economies thrive when governments digitize. GDP per person permanently increases by one percent. Meaning, if the Philippines’ 2018 GDP were constant, each of the 108 million Filipinos would be producing P1,552 more per year. In short, prosperity.

 

* * *

 

            My book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government”, is available as e-book and paperback. To order, simply click HERE.

            Plus, get a FREE copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity” when you subscribe to my newsletter.

So you think phishing won’t happen to you

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Who are the Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet?

Who are the Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet?

by | Jan 1, 2021 | Gotcha

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Who are the Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet?

Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet

            It’s the turn of cabinet members to come clean. Who among them surreptitiously got unlicensed COVID-19 vaccinations a month ago? Interior Sec. Ed Año avows to know at least one but won’t name who for privacy’s sake. Yet privacy can’t be invoked when laws appear to have been broken. Omerta is only for those missing some fingers.

            A hundred million Filipinos patiently are awaiting an inoculant from the deadly coronavirus. The cabinet vaccinees must answer people’s questions. Why did they jump the queue ahead of the medical frontlines, the sickly, elderly and pregnant? Do they think themselves exempt from the vaccination rules of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases? If so, there are subtler ways to flaunt it. Try karaoke-ing in enclosed bars or dolphin-watching in tourist resorts while everyone else is on lockdown and curfew.

            The vaccines came from China’s state-owned Sinopharm. President Rody Duterte said so. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed it. Sinopharm has no direct dealings with the Philippine government. Unlike in other countries, it has not applied for clinical trials on Filipinos. It has still to publish test results for peer review.

            Yet Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone call to Malacañang last June promised to prioritize Manila when a vaccine is developed. Could the doses for the cabinet vaccinees have come via diplomatic pouch? China aggressively has been employing “vaccine diplomacy” to showcase advances in medical technology. As well, to live down the fact that the global pandemic came from Wuhan, that it tried to keep the outbreak a secret at first, and that it let five million Wuhanese fly out before banning travel.

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize any vaccine for emergency use. The Bureau of Customs has no record of any vaccine import.

Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet

            The Malacañang spokesman claims that the Sinopharm vaccines were donated. That does not exculpate the cabinet vaccinees. Whether from foreign or domestic donors, cash or kind, donations must be declared to the Department of Finance.

            The spokesman called the donation a “token”. Likening it to cake given by government officemates, he said acceptance broke no law. Yet Sinopharm’s chairman has priced its double doses at $145, or P7,250. The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act limits to P5,000 the amount of a gift a public official may accept. Anything above that is unlawful.

            A COVID-19 inoculant is far from being a token. It is the most sought-after commodity in the world today, notes Dr. Tony Leachon. “Every nation is fighting for stocks and access to end the pandemic,” says the former chief medical adviser to the national COVID task force. “We know it’s urgently needed but let’s do it the right way to ensure safety of recipients.”

            The Presidential Security Group has admitted being recipient of the vaccines. PSG chief Major Gen. Jesus Durante III said they injected each other in September then in October. Without mentioning Sinopharm, he stressed that PSG studied the product thoroughly. In December Sinopharm clinical trials in Peru were halted when a volunteer suffered severe side effects.

            The PSG’s mission is to protect the President at all costs. Durante cleared Duterte of any role in the vaccinations. “He was surprised… when we told him about it,” he said. That departs from Army Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana’s line. Asked earlier if the vaccination order came from Malacañang, Sobejana told CNN Philippines: “Of course, our President is our Commander-in-Chief. I should say it’s from the chain of command of the Armed Forces.” Army spokesman Col. Demy Zagala also stated: “The vaccination occurred by the direction of the chain of command, headed by our Commander-in-Chief, the President.”

Lorenzana, Año, Sobejana, Durante, and Zagala are graduates of the Philippine Military Academy. There they were indoctrinated that “a cadet does not lie, cheat, or steal.”

The cabinet vaccinees would do best to speak up. Prolonging their silence only complicates matters. The Health department warns of possible adverse effects of unauthorized immunization. Their noses might grow longer every time they speak.

Not only the IATF, of which Año is vice chairman, was slighted. Two other regulators were ignored. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize any vaccine for emergency use. The Bureau of Customs has no record of any vaccine import. Lorenzana said it was smuggled but “for a good cause” of avoiding infecting the President.

The National Bureau of Investigation sees potential breaches of the FDA Act, the Consumer Act, and the Medical Practice Act.

The spokesman claims there’s no more to be said about the unlicensed vaccination. But can he stop Duterte from dropping another New Year bombshell?

 

* * *

 

My latest book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government”, is available as e-book and paperback. To order, simply click HERE.

Plus, get a FREE copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity” when you subscribe to my newsletter.

Sinopharm vaccinees in the Cabinet

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50% vaccine efficacy is like ‘cara y cruz’

50% vaccine efficacy is like ‘cara y cruz’

by | Dec 30, 2020 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

50% vaccine efficacy is like ‘cara y cruz’

Malacañang controversies over unlicensed COVID-19 vaccines

            Controversies swirl in Malacañang over unlicensed COVID-19 vaccines. Latest is President Rody Duterte’s disclosure of Sinopharm injections of soldiers. Questions hound the rush to purchase doses from Sinovac. Both are state-controlled China firms; neither have completed clinical trials, nor applied with Philippine authorities for domestic use.

            “Halos lahat ng sundalo natusukan na,” Duterte bared in a televised meeting with health officials Saturday night. “I have to be frank, I have to tell the truth… marami nang nagpatusok and lahat up to now wala akong narinig for the select few, not all soldiers hindi pa kasi policy eh.”

            Under various development stages worldwide are 96 vaccines and 135 drugs against COVID-19. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue any Emergency Use Authority. Only Pfizer-USA has applied for such EUA. Evaluation can take till Jan. 2021. Sinovac is seeking permission to include the Philippines in clinical trials. Sinopharm has no official dealings with Filipino regulators. No import, distribution, and dispensing can be made until FDA’s go-signal. Duterte reiterated that early this month.

            A vaccinee’s informed choice is a must, says the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development. Under its mass inoculation plan, doctors, nurses, and technicians directly fighting COVID-19 are to be first. Vulnerable sectors, including the sickly and elderly, are next. Uniformed servicemen and other frontline workers come later.

They are going to inject my fellow health workers. We have a right to know more.

Dr. Tony Leachon

Ex-Chief Medical Adviser, National anti-COVID task force

Malacañang controversies over unlicensed COVID-19 vaccines

            Presidential spokesman Harry Roque initially disavowed knowledge of the Sinopharm inoculations. But Interior Secretary Ed Año clarified that the jabs were administered on soldiers and policemen in the Presidential Security Group. Some Cabinet members also were vaccinated, said Año, vice-chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases. Army chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana confirmed that some troops were vaccinated but was unsure of the number. Asked if Duterte allowed the vaccinations, Sobejana reportedly said, “Of course, our president is our Commander-in-Chief.”

            Then Roque tried to douse hot comments of rule violations. “Let’s just say that our military who guards our security is now safe from COVID when they can do their job,” he said. Denying that Duterte authorized the shots, he added: “It must have been the decision of the commanders and the soldiers. It’s not illegal to be vaccinated with an unregistered vaccine. What is prohibited is the distribution and sale.”

            FDA director general Eric Domingo disagreed. His agency is to investigate whoever imported and dispensed the unlicensed doses. The Health department advised vaccinees to consult doctors at once in case of adverse effects.

            Sinopharm has advertised 80-percent vaccine efficacy. But its studies have yet to be published and subjected to peer review.

            Similar preference for Chinese Sinovac’s inoculant is touchy. Why purchase a vaccine with unpublished studies, and no official examination, blogged Dr. Tony Leachon. At once, Roque berated the former chief medical adviser of the national anti-COVID task force. Leachon persisted: “They are going to inject my fellow health workers. We have a right to know more.”

            Sinovac’s product rated 50-percent efficacy in initial trials. Meaning, it can prevent contagion of half a population previously uninfected and to be injected, medical journals explain. The World Health Organization came out in April with such 50-percent minimum acceptability, but preferred 70 percent. Most FDAs followed suit.

            That was before Pfizer notched 95-percent efficacy; Moderna of USA, 94; and AstraZeneca of Britain, 70. Those results, reported in Oct. and Nov., promise far more people to be saved from infection and death. Even China has ordered 100 million doses from Pfizer. That company is so far the only one green-lighted in America and Europe to distribute COVID vaccines.

            In comparison, Sinovac’s 50 percent is like “cara y cruz” or toss coin, a tweet spread. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who has twice contracted COVID-19, remarked: “That means there’s a 50-50 chance of you getting COVID even after being vaccinated, (which is) a joke.”

Malacañang controversies over unlicensed COVID-19 vaccines

There’s a 50-50 chance of you getting COVID even after being vaccinated, (which is) a joke.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri

Senate Majority Leader

Sinovac isn’t cheap either. Two doses, 28 days apart, will cost P3,629.50, Sen. Sonny Angara estimates. Double doses from AstraZeneca come to P610; Pfizer, P2,379; Moderna, P3,904 – P4,504. Other upcoming alternatives: Novavax, P366; Johnson & Johnson, P480; Gamaleya, P1,220; and COVAX facility with WHO, P854.

The government needs to maximize the number of vaccinees with its budget of P82.5 billion. Mass inoculation includes other costs, Angara says: training per vaccinator of 350 persons, P1,200; peripherals, including facemask, shield, alcohol, cotton balls per vaccinator, P962 per dose, or P1,924 for two doses.

 

* * *

 

            My latest book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government”, is available as e-book and paperback. To order, simply click https://jariusbondoc.com/#subscribe

            Plus, get a FREE copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity” when you subscribe to my newsletter.

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Venerating the Mother of the Child born today

Venerating the Mother of the Child born today

by | Dec 25, 2020 | Gotcha

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Venerating the Mother of the Child born today

Image by Vickie McCarty from Pixabay

The birth of any child exalts the mother

            The birth of any child exalts the mother. Christians hold Mary high for bringing forth Jesus, God the Son. Muslims call her the most pious of all women who mothered one of their great prophets.

            Not a goddess to be adored, Mary is venerated as a saint. Catholics revere her as Mediatrix to her Divine Son to avert grave misfortune. As Jesus “ascended” and was enthroned, Mary was “assumed” into and crowned Queen of Heaven. Yet she is not coequal of Christ, for she was human.

            Immaculately conceived, Mary was one of only five persons born without Original Sin, Catholic Mariology holds. The first two were Adam and Eve, whose Fall led to the marking of all men thence. Jesus was unblemished because the Son of God by miraculous virgin birth. John the Baptist was freed of Original Sin as soon as Mary acknowledged him in the womb of cousin Elizabeth during the Visitation. Mary was spared of Original Sin because God’s chosen handmaiden.

            Orthodox churches have gigantic icons of Mother Mary that dwarf the Holy Child. Orthodox Greeks and Russians mark as a special day her presentation at age 3 to the temple, the holiest of places, reserved only for males.

            As the Anglican and Roman churches patch up old rifts, joint restudies of Mary are being held. Henry VIII’s loyalists had seized and smashed statues of St. Mary, but a shrine recently was built in her honor in London. While it caused some murmurs among Anglicans, one bishop acknowledged the Marian apparitions that Catholics officially celebrate.

Mother Mariam is the only woman mentioned by name in the Muslim holy book.

Cihangir Arslan, PhD

Turkish interfaith scholar

The birth of any child exalts the mother

            Muslims regard Mary (Mariam) as most special. Islam teaches that only she and son Jesus were untouched by Satan before birth. Meryemana, the house where Mary lived in the care of the apostle John in Ephesus, Asia Minor (now part of Turkey), is administered by Catholic friars and nuns, but most visitors are Muslims.

            The Quran features Mary extensively. Excerpts from a lecture by Turkish interfaith scholar Cihangir Arslan, PhD:

  • Mother Mariam is the only woman mentioned by name in the Muslim holy book. Her name directly is stated or she is referred to in 35 verses in 12 chapters. Chapter 19 is named after Mother Mariam, and Chapter 3 is about the Family of ‘Imran, father of Mariam.
  • One verse (3:42) is equivalent to the Christians’ Annunciation: “And (in due time came the moment) when the angels said: ‘Mariam, God has chosen you and made you pure, and exalted you above all the women in the world.’”
  • “Allah’s Messenger said, ‘Many amongst men attained perfection but amongst women none attained perfection except Mariam, the daughter of ‘Imran, and Asiva, the wife of Fir’aun (Pharaoh).’” Note, the Messenger here is Archangel Jibrail, or Gabriel to Christians.
  • In Chapter 3, Al ‘Imran (The Family of ‘Imran), is a verse (3:33) that traces Mary’s special lineage: “They refuse faith in you and some of the Prophets because you did not appear among them, but Allah favors whomever He wishes with Messengership, and Allah made pure Adam and Noah and the House of Abraham and the House of ‘Imran, choosing them above all humankind.”
  • Two verses follow about the offering of Mariam by her mother to God: “Remember when the wife of ‘Imran entreated: ‘My Lord, I have dedicated that which is in my womb to Your exclusive service. Accept it, then, from me. Surely You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.’” (3:35)
  • “When she delivered of it she said: ‘My Lord, I have given birth to a female.’ – Allah knew best of what she was delivered, so she did not need to be sorry, because the male child she expected could not be the same as the female child (whom We bestowed on her and would honor with great favor). – ‘I have named her Mariam and commend her and her offspring to You for protection from Satan eternally rejected from Allah’s mercy.’” (3:36)
  • And then the equivalent of the Christian dogma of the Birth of Mary’s Son without Original Sin: “The Prophet said, ‘When any human being is born, Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mariam, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead.’”

Filipinos particularly are Marianists.

            Some historians theorize that Christianity and Islam picked up the Madonna concept from the Egyptians’ Isis and the Romans’ Diana. Others say “the female near-deity” draws from the fellow-Abrahamic religion, Judaism. To the ancient Hebrews the source of faith and will, acting as Mediatrix between God and man, was “wisdom,” with a female gender. Eventually it evolved as a human mother, the natural and total nurturer and protector.

            Filipinos particularly are Marianists. Dozens of images depict Mary in apparitions, mediations, and miraculous healings. Catholic bishops consecrated Filipinos to her as part of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines in March 2021.

 

* * *

 

            Paperback orders can be made for my latest book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government.” Just fill up the form at: https://bit.ly/2Ja571r.

The birth of any child exalts the mother/h2>

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Pope Francis asked to revoke Luther’s excommunication

Pope Francis asked to revoke Luther’s excommunication

by | Dec 23, 2020 | Gotcha

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Pope Francis asked to revoke Luther’s excommunication

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Revocation of Luther’s excommunication

            Pope Francis is being asked to lift the excommunication of Martin Luther and thus seal Catholic-Lutheran reconciliation. Cleansing the legacy of the 16th-century reformer would remove a major block to Christian unity, influential ecumenical thinkers say. A papal initiative shall be reciprocated by Lutheran leaders. Other Protestant churches will be motivated into deeper talks for communion.

            Harsh words exchanged in the wake of Luther’s schism 500 years ago need to be taken back. That will cap 50 years of efforts at Catholic-Lutheran mending, the Altenberg Ecumenical Discussion Circle believes. The group of German-speaking Catholic and Protestant theologians has been gaining support since calling for Luther’s restoration last June. They were inspired by Pope Francis’ 2017 remark, on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, that Luther’s intention “was to renew the Church, not divide her.”

            A date is suggested for the historic restoration: Jan. 3, 2021. It is also the Feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ.

            On that day five centuries ago Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther via the bull “Decet Romanum Pontificem”. Four years earlier the German monk had nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the Wittenberg church door. Aided by newly invented printing, the schism spread fast across Christian Europe.

            By June 1520 Leo X issued a bull “condemning, reprobating, and rejecting completely” 41 of Luther’s theses. He called them “errors … either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of simple minds, and against Catholic truth.” Luther was given 60 days to recant or be expelled.

In 1999 the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics and 80 million Lutherans came closer to harmony.

Revocation of Luther’s excommunication

            Instead, Luther reaffirmed his declarations and added, “Whoever wrote that bull, he is Antichrist.” On deadline day, he and fellow-reformer Philip Melancthon burned a copy of the bull and other papal documents.

            Expulsion followed. In “Decet Romanum Pontificem” Leo X censured Luther as a “misguided”, “debased”, “depraved”, “damnable …heretic”. Persecutions and wars ensued as monarchs and nobles took sides.

            Rescinding the excommunication would delete such descriptions. The Altenberg Circle also urges the Lutheran World Federation to revoke Luther’s condemnation of the Pope as “Antichrist”. The Circle includes prominent Catholic theologians Johanna Rahner and Dorothea Sattler of the Universities of Tübingen and of Münster. It publishes studies and strides in Christian unification.

            In 1999 the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics and 80 million Lutherans came closer to harmony. Resolved was the fundamental rift on whether faith alone leads to salvation, which Lutherans uphold, or if good works are necessary, as Catholics aver. A Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification had this key message: “By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping us and calling us to good works.” It came after decades of dialogue since 1966 between LWF and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

            The World Methodist Council endorsed the accord in 2006. The World Communion of Reformed Churches, which groups Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, United, Uniting, and Waldesian churches, followed suit in 2016.

            Pope Francis joined in 2016 the Lutherans’ kickoff in Sweden of a yearlong commemoration of 500 years of tradition. Beside LWF president Munib Younan, the Pontiff prayed, “The Holy Spirit help us to rejoice in the gifts that have come to the church through Reformation, prepare us to repent for the dividing walls that we, and our forebears, have built, and equip us for common witness and service in the world.”

            Francis has been reaching out to other Christian churches. “Finally!” he beamed, as he and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill kissed thrice on the cheeks before their three-hour exchange. The meeting at the Havana Airport lounge in Feb. 2016 was the first in a thousand years between the Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Moscow.

            In Oct. 2016 Francis met twice in Rome with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby. Their joint statement sought to overcome serious obstacles to full unity. Catholic-Anglican talks began in 1915. A century later it bogged down when some Anglican districts ordained women priests and a bishop in a same-sex marriage. Dialogue continues on complementary administering of sacraments.

Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus replies, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

Matthew 18:21,22

            In Dec. 2017 Francis welcomed to the Vatican leaders of the World Evangelical Alliance. Discussions centered on closer cooperation against Christian suppression, violence, and human trafficking. WEA general secretary Efraim Tendero discussed cooperation in bible distribution. Bishop Efraim headed for two decades the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches and the Philippine Relief and Development Services.

            A weaving thread in unification talks among Catholics and Protestants is the sacrifice of their martyrs for the faith.

            The coinage of “ecumenism” reflects deep desire among Christians to overcome divisions of history, rites, and teachings. Forgiveness is key. Often quoted in ecumenical gatherings is John 17, in which Jesus prays that His followers be one so that the world will believe. American Lutheran Rev. Christopher Olkiewicz suggests as well Matthew 18, where Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus replies, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” Anybody keeping count would have forgiven well before reaching that number.

 

* * *

 

            Paperback orders can be made for my latest book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government.” Just fill up the form at: https://bit.ly/2Ja571r.

Revocation of Luther’s excommunication/h2>

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A pattern in SSS punishing members for its mistakes

A pattern in SSS punishing members for its mistakes

by | Dec 18, 2020 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

A pattern in SSS punishing members for its mistakes

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

SSS punishing members for its mistakes

            An isolated bureaucratic lapse is excusable. But a pattern of wrongs is alarming.

            Last Apr. 27 I featured the problem of Social Security System member Leo Querubin. SSS had sent through his present employer a collection notice. He supposedly owed SSS P60,619.15. It was for a salary loan balance of P11,250.73 from as far back as May 2001, plus interest of P12,487.50 and penalty of P36,880.92.

            Leo had a different employer in Makati then, which he left in 2002. He moved to a new employer a few blocks away, before joining his present one. The previous company has since closed.

            Leo no longer recalled the loan he supposedly took out 19 years ago, much less the details. He politely inquired with SSS:

            (1) In case a member with outstanding loan resigns, is it not SSS policy to require the employer to deduct the entire loan balance from the last salary and remit at once to SSS?

            (2) Assuming the old company did not do so, which means it was in breach of SSS rules, should not SSS have collected immediately through the subsequent employers, instead of 19 years later?

            Just pay up, SSS replied. Luzon was under strict pandemic lockdown that April, and government had a moratorium on all debt payments. In that column, “SSS Penalizing Member for Its and Employer’s Fault,” I alerted other members not to fall for scams.

Just pay up, SSS replied. Luzon was under strict pandemic lockdown that April, and government had a moratorium on all debt payments.

SSS punishing members for its mistakes

            Having read that, SSS member Howard Felicidario wrote this week: “I am aghast! I have an almost identical issue.” His letter to SSS is self-explanatory, excerpted below:

            “I am writing to complain about the unconscionable interest and penalty from a forgotten ten-year old loan which you may have overlooked due to technical inefficiency or bureaucratic neglect.

            “On Nov. 28, 2020, I was notified by Technology Elite, Inc., the company I currently work for in Clark Freeport, Pampanga, that I have a balance of P26,233.90 from a salary loan that I allegedly availed back in March 2010. On checking my SSS account online, I found out that there was a remaining unpaid balance of P10,000 that for 10 years, without my knowledge, has been accruing interests and penalties.  Now, the said interests and penalties have ballooned to P26,375.67 and growing.

            “My loan date supposedly was March 19, 2010, when I was still with Cutting Edge Productions, Inc., now closed.

            “For all I know, this has already been repaid since the balance of P10,000 should have been deducted from my final pay from Cutting Edge Productions, as standard operating procedure between SSS and employers.

            “I presumed regularity that SSS was doing its function so this loan should already have been paid in full, and that there is no more balance because for 10 years SSS did not bill any of my other previous employers nor received any information of my outstanding loan from any of them or you.

            “I do not renege on my obligations and I see to it that my debts are always paid in full and on time. This unconscionable accrued interest on loan left unchecked due to your inefficiency, neglect or incompetence has given me so much headache, disappointment, and indignation.

            “The SSS Mandate says: ‘To manage a sound and viable social security system which shall promote social justice and provide meaningful protection to members and their families against the hazards of disability, sickness, maternity, old age, death and other contingencies resulting in loss of income or financial burden.’

            “Leaving loans unchecked without notifying your members so that the interest and penalties accrue for years, even decades, without the members being aware and you gain double, triple, or quadruple the original loan amount is hardly promoting social justice. You should be notifying at least annually. Had I been notified before the interest ballooned in the past 10 years, I could have paid it before it reached this usurious level. There could be millions of us with similar situations.

            “I transferred to Riot Inc., a short walk from Cutting Edge Productions, both in Makati; my salary there had SSS deductions. Why did your system not detect that the balance of my loan from 2010 was left unpaid?

            “My current employer is prodding me to ‘settle’ the loan immediately. According to them, SSS will tag our company as delinquent due to my outstanding SSS loan. This will affect the eligibility of our other employees to get loans from SSS as well as the permits and operations of our company. Why penalize the whole organization for the issue of a member that the organization has nothing to do with? Have you taken a page from the mafia rulebook?”

 

* * *

 

            Hard-copy orders can now be made for my latest book, “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government.” Just email: gotchabyjariusbondoc@gmail.com.

SSS punishing members for its mistakes

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