The Department of Education (DepED) on Thursday, Dec. 22, reiterated that no person or entity has been authorized to solicit money or donation from the public and other organizations.
In an advisory, DepED --- particularly the Office of the Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla --- alerted the public, especially the Finance Strand's internal and external stakeholders, about individuals or entities communicating with them to illegally solicit money, request for contributions, or ask for donations using the name of said office and its Undersecretary.
“Please be informed that the DepEd and its Executive Committee have not authorized any person or entity to solicit money for whatever purpose,” the agency said.
Given this, DepED advised all concerned to be “cautious and not to deal with unscrupulous person/s or entities asking for donation, personal information, or account confirmation” using the name of the Office of the Undersecretary for Finance, any DepEd Executive Committee or official, or any DepEd office.
“The DepED reserves the right to file any and all applicable cases, criminal, civil and administrative, against fraudulent individuals and entities, as maybe warranted under existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the agency said.
Related to this, DepED urged the public and others concerned to “immediately report similar circumstances.”
The report should include the name of the scrupulous individual or entity, their contact number/s, and the date and time of the communication with the concerned office.
Reports may be sent to the DepEd Public Assistance and Action Center via email to [email protected] or through its contact numbers (02) 8636-1663 and (02) 8633-1942 as well as to the Office of the Undersecretary for Finance through email to [email protected] or by calling 02 8633-3942.
DepED also advised concerned parties to “immediately seek” the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or the police “in cases of emergency.”