MANILA — Artemio and Phebie Dy, a business couple who fell victim to an alleged investment scam, are now demanding repayment from the perpetrator, Mario Pacursa Marcos.

After overcoming three diversionary cases filed against them, the Dy couple has now refocused on their  demand letter pinning for the return of the whole sum of P12 million filed before the Makati and Taguig City Prosecutor’s offices that were allegedly unlawfully take from them by the fake PBBM relative.

The Dy couple expressed their focused commitment to pursuing justice, stating, “We will now prioritize the two demand letters we filed against Mario Pacursa Marcos to recover the P12 million he defrauded from us.”

Misrepresentation

Mario Pacursa Marcos is facing charges of misrepresentation for falsely claiming to be a relative of President Bongbong Marcos.

The Dy couple discovered the deception with the help of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Undersecretary Gilberto DC Cruz, the Executive Director of PAOCC in September.

PAOCC later confirmed that Mario Pacursa Marcos had no familial ties to President Bongbong Marcos.

During their initial meeting in April 2023, Marcos allegedly misrepresented himself, claiming to be working on big-ticket projects under the Marcos administration. He accordingly enticed the Dy couple, who is involved in construction, by offering to secure a mega project for them.

The legal counsel of the Dy couple highlighted that the cases filed before by Pacursa-Marcos were attempts to stall or act as preemptive measures over the real issue.

Dismissed cases

The court dismissed theft and qualified theft cases filed by Marcos against the Dy couple, stating they had no basis, as Marcos failed to prove ownership of the collateral—a condominium unit and gemstones that were later proven of no value.

Marcos and his counsel were absent during the recent preliminary investigation hearing first week of November, prompting the Dy couple to anticipate a resolution for warrant of arrest this week.

The Dy couple believes that Marcos filed charges against them only to delay the legal action against him.

After gaining their trust, Marcos borrowed P6 million from the Dy couple, and when a post-dated check issued by Marcos as guarantee bounced, he borrowed an additional P6 million using the fake gemstones and a land title as collateral.

In an interview over the weekend, Phebie Dy encourages other potential victims to come forward, to not be afraid.

“If there are other victims of this person, I am encouraging them to come forward and file appropriate complaints. Let us not be afraid. This, I believe, is the right way to stop this man and prevent him from inflicting physical, emotional, and financial damages to victims like us.”

Mario Pacursa Marcos, who presented himself as a congressional candidate from Bicol, is presently on bail for previous estafa cases, with a Hold-Departure Order and revoked firearm license.

Two other complainants

Two other complainants, Jennylei Caberte and retired Army General Arnulfo Jose Marcos, collectively claim to have lost P20 million to Marcos through various schemes, including financing PR events and false promises of government projects.

Investigations continue with the active involvement of law enforcement agencies and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

(ai/mnm)