Police Brig. Gen. Anthony A. Aberin, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), has ordered an intensified campaign against the proliferation of fake senior citizen and persons with disability (PWD) identification cards amid concerns of the abuse of discount privilege that are now affecting even the legitimate beneficiaries.
Aberin said police commanders in Metro Manila were already tasked to further strengthen the monitoring and intelligence-gathering as to the sources of the fake IDs.
“The NCRPO will be unwavering against these unscrupulous individuals who deceive the public to advance their personal agenda and interest,” said Aberin.
“Our operations against these types of scams will be aggressive and we shall ensure that airtight cases will be filed against them to ensure their conviction after trial,” he added.
Aberin’s order came amid the heated discussions on social media about the concerns raised by restaurant and other establishment owners over what they described as abuse of the discount privilege.
A recent statement from the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (Resto PH) highlighted how fake PWD cards are exploiting businesses, leading to significant financial losses, especially for small and family-run establishments.
The discussions dragged the legitimate senior citizen and PWD identification holders, especially that the issue of fake IDs was also raised.
On Feb. 5, joint operatives of the NCRPO Regional Special Operations Group with Regional Intelligence Division and the Manila Police District-District Intelligence Division (MPD-DID) arrested six people involved in the widespread production and sale of counterfeit PWD identification cards and other Public and Private Documents in a series of operations in Manila.
Aberin advised the public to inform the NCRPO of any information about the production and sale of fake PWD and senior citizen IDs.