Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib (PNA photo)

Tagum City – Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib vehemently denies that he and his political mentor, former House Speaker and 1st district congressman Pantaleon Alvarez are protecting the owners of investment companies proliferating in the province.

“That is not true. I don’t protect anyone. Cong. Alvarez and I do not protect operators of investment schemes,” the governor said in Cebuano.

He added that he and Alvarez were protecting the interest of the victims of the get-rich-quick scams.  The first term governor and neophyte politician further promised to help the victims recover their investments.

Jubahib, who was Alvarez’s personal assistant before he ran for governor, promised to convene a multi-agency meeting to hasten the arrest and prosecution of the persons behind these scams.

Some 30 companies promising hefty investments returns, ranging from 30 percent to 600 percent, operated here before President Rodrigo Duterte ordered their immediate closure last June.  The most well-known of these is the KAPA Community Ministry International.

Some victims have already filed syndicated estafa cases against the suspects who have fled with hundreds of millions of pesos of investors’ money.

Earlier last week, irate victims stormed the houses of operators of an investment company. The crowd ransacked the houses of appliances, furniture, and other valuables.  A luxury car of one investment company founder was reportedly stripped.  (Rommel Lopez)