DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao del Norte — Police arrested a man posing as an employee of the Ministry of Social Services and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-BARMM) during an entrapment operation in Barangay Awang, together with his two alleged accomplices.
Lt. Col. Esmael Madin, chief of the Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipal Police Station (DOSMPS), identified the suspect as Badrudin Bansuan, 48, a resident of Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur. Arrested alongside him were two alleged cohorts, identified only as alias Mar, 32, and Nanay Eden, 63, the owner of the house used as a venue for the illegal activity.
According to police, Bansuan presented himself as an MSSD-BARMM worker and used a falsified identification card to dupe unsuspecting individuals. He reportedly promised victims inclusion in the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in exchange for payments ranging from ₱500 to ₱900.
Recovered during the entrapment were ₱500 marked money, boodle cash, an MSSD identification card, assorted birth certificates, and other documents allegedly used in the scheme.
Police verification later confirmed that Bansuan was not an employee of MSSD-BARMM. Investigators also discovered that he had been using various aliases, including Al-Fahad Bansawan and Sinalindo Intuan, and had a record of previous criminal cases. Reports also linked him to past incidents of name-dropping BARMM officials in exchange for rice and cash.
The MSSD-BARMM reiterated that registration for the 4Ps program is free of charge and urged the public to immediately report anyone soliciting money for inclusion in the beneficiaries’ list. Authorities had previously warned communities about Bansuan’s operations after receiving complaints from victims.
Bansuan, along with his companions, will face charges of estafa and usurpation of authority or official functions under Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code.
Police said intelligence reports suggest that Bansuan has long been engaged in this modus operandi, preying on vulnerable families in exchange for false promises of government assistance.