Published on 25 May 2013 [ manilatimes.net
]
A fake group
pretending to be National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) personnel has
been roaming around the Zamboanga area to victimize residents with a strategic
scam concerning right-of-way (ROW) claims.
In a
statement, NGCP said that it is warning the public of a proliferating
systematized scam in the Zamboanga area in Mindanao concerning ROW claims.
The country’s
power grid developer cited that an organized group has been contacting land
owners along or under NGCP transmission lines and facilities, and has been
allegedly promising land owners an amount of P50,000 to P300,000 for every
tower constructed within their properties.
The group
will then require land owners to provide a copy of their certificate of land
title or tax declaration to support their supposed claim from NGCP.
In return,
the owners are also asked to pledge 40 percent of their claim as the
organization’s commission rate.
“These
fraudulent acts are not sanctioned by NGCP and this organization does not have
the legal personality to represent NGCP,” the lawyer Cynthia Alabanza, the
company’s spokesperson, said.
“We would
like to warn the public to refrain from transacting with these individuals, as
they are not connected with NGCP and will only take advantage of your properties,”
she added.
According to
NGCP, it conducts ROW negotiations with landowners whose properties are and
will be traversed by transmission lines.
“Such
negotiations are done professionally and no fees or documents will be required
from land owners,” NGCP said.
The company
further said that it directly deals with landowners and has not authorized any
third-party representatives to conduct negotiations.
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