Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 24) — Two men posing as government officials were arrested for trying to extort money from Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Zubiri said the suspects — who claimed to be local officials from Siquijor — had asked for ₱50,000 last Aug. 14. The men said the money would be used for their political convention in exchange for their continued support for Zubiri.
The two suspects — aged 46 and 23 — were arrested in an entrapment operation in Zambales on Aug. 15. Seized from them were marked money and a handgun.
Police said other politicians, including President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, have also been victimized by such schemes.
Following the incident, Zubiri vowed to push for the passage of the SIM card registration bill, saying this will allow authorities to easily track scammers.
“We in the 19th Congress are going to pass this at the soonest possible time,” he said.
The bill vetoed by former president Rodrigo Duterte in April calls for the mandatory registration of SIM cards of mobile phone users. The measure requires social media networks to get the real names and phone numbers of users when they create accounts.
