The Makati City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the theft and qualified theft cases filed by alleged investment scammer Mario Marcos against the business couple Artemio and Phebie Dy.

According to the released resolution from the court, Marcos’s filed cases against the Dy couple have no basis.

Marcos allegedly failed to prove that the title to the property, a condominium unit in Quezon City, and the precious stones he used as collateral for a P12-million loan belonged to him.

The court stated that Marcos voluntarily brought the property title and gemstones to the couple’s office as collateral.

Marcos also reportedly did not attend court hearings from October 17 to October 24.

Meanwhile, the Dy couple expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, promptly filing a P12-million scam case against Mario Marcos.

The Dys believe that Marcos only filed charges to delay their legal action against him.

Marcos, claiming to be a businessman and a relative of President Bongbong Marcos, introduced himself to the Dy couple at an event in Makati City on April 23, 2023.

After gaining the couple’s trust, Mario borrowed P6 million in May 2023, supposedly for a business summit.

Although Mario Marcos issued a post-dated check, it reportedly had insufficient funds on the deposit date.

Instead of repaying, Mario allegedly borrowed another P6 million from the Dy couple, using precious stones and a title as collateral.

Upon seeking help from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), the Dy couple discovered that Mario Marcos was neither a relative nor a cousin of PBBM (President Bongbong Marcos).

In September, the PAOCTF cautioned the public about scammers falsely claiming to be related to the President.

PAOCTF’s investigation revealed multiple cases of estafa against Mario Marcos, who remains temporarily free after posting bail.

Earlier, Phebie Dy urged other possible victims of Marcos for them to come forward and file appropriate complaints.

“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 and prevent more victims like us,” she said.

According to the victims, Mario Marcos also presented himself as a congressional candidate from Bicol, although it has been confirmed that Marcos is from Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, not Ilocos Norte.

He is presently on bail for previous estafa cases, with a Hold-Departure Order in place, and his license to own firearms for 25 guns has been revoked by the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office.

2 other complainants

The two other complainants, public relations consultant Jennylei Caberte and retired Army General Arnulfo Jose Marcos, are also collectively claiming to have lost P20 million to Marcos through various schemes.

These schemes included financing PR events and false promises of government projects.

Despite claiming to be the CEO of Smart Citi Teknologi with an alleged partnership with TESLA Technologies, investigations revealed the TESLA project to be a hoax, with victims tricked into investing significant amounts.

In response to these fraudulent activities, the Philippine National Police has ordered Marcos to surrender all licensed guns.

The PNP has since cautioned the public about Pacusar-Marcos’ deceptive tactics, including the distribution of fake limited edition gold coins featuring the President’s image and the official Presidential Seal.

Criminal charges have been filed by the victims, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, with the assistance of law enforcement agencies, is actively investigating the case.

Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin has already ordered a thorough probe into the illegal activities of the imposter posing as a Marcos relative.

(ai/mnm)