‘Rent-Tangay’ victims seek DOJ help

A total of 60 ‘Rent-Tangay’ modus operandi victims on Thursday sought the help of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to conduct a deeper probe on the said scheme. (Photo: Department of Justice)

MANILA—A total of 60 ‘Rent-Tangay’ modus operandi victims on Thursday sought the help of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to conduct a deeper probe on the said scheme.

”Pumunta (kami) sa DoJ para mag-request ng malawakan na investigation na gagawin. Ang nakikita dito ay malaki syndicate all over the country, as far as Marawi nare-recover (recover vehicles), as far as Tawi Tawi,” Atty. Ariel E. Inton, Jr., counsel of complainants and former Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) board member told reporters.

Inton believed that the syndicate might have already illegally amassed millions of pesos from their victims since the suspects allegedly only paid PHP25,000 to PHP45,000 to rent a car for three months, depending if it is an sports utility vehicle (SUV) or a sedan.

Meanwhile, they collect PHP200,000 to PHP400,000 for every car they dispose, depending on the type of vehicle.

“Rentangay” is a modus where suspects pose as renters of private vehicles and pay an agreed amount of monthly rent. The suspect will then pawn the rented vehicle to another person.

In their modus operandi, the suspects would allegedly victimize car owners from different parts of greater Metro Manila area and Luzon. While some of the cars were recovered as far as Mindanao provinces such as Marawi and Tawi-Tawi.

Inton said that they already filed a complaint and also sought for an Immigration lookout bulletin (ILBO) against one of the three suspected swindlers identified as Tychicus Historillo Nambio.

Under the ILBO, the Bureau of Immigration and its agents are ordered “at least monitor the itineraries of their (subject’s) flight, travel, and/or whereabouts,” and alert the Office of the Secretary of Justice and the Office of the Prosecutor General should the subjects attempt to leave the country.

Inton said that he and some of the complainants have talked to Justice Undersecretary Raymund L. Mecate who assured them that an ILBO will be issued against the subject.

Aside from Nambio, the complainants also asked that the DOJ look into the alleged involvement of Rafaela Anunciacion and Lea Constantino Rosales in the scheme.

To their knowledge, Nambio is detained in Binan, Laguna for estafa.