Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan said the charges were filed by the 10 town residents who were victimized in the scam after they got witnesses and submitted their affidavits.

She said that more victims are also expected to file charges.

They were allegedly scammed with the promise to be recruited as officers in the Philippine National Police (PNP) in exchange for a huge sum of money.

Mangilimutan said the National Police Commission will investigate the police personnel who may have been involved in the scam.

She added that separate complaints were also filed against Dumaguit and Delos Santos before the La Castellana Police Station.

The mayor said the provincial government was in full support, as Provincial Legal Office head Alberto Nellas said they are coordinating with the PNP for the filing of cases.

She also requested Police Regional Office in Western Visayas director, Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The victims — 37 from La Castellana, two from Bacolod City and six from Moises Padilla town — have paid P247,000 to P300,000 each for admission to the PNP, as promised by Dumaguit and Delos Santos, even if they were ineligible.

The mayor said the victims were promised that their oath taking would take place on July 2 in Kabankalan City, after they paid an additional P25,000 fee for their lodging and uniforms.

Earlier, Mangilimutan said Dumaguit had been absent for two consecutive regular sessions already.

She explained that under the internal rules of the Sangguniang Bayan, any councilor who has been absent for three consecutive sessions can be subject to disciplinary action.

For his part, Dumaguit has denied involvement in the police force recruitment scam.

However, Mangilimutan accused the councilor of lying, saying his claims were baseless.

She said that he needed to answer the allegations against him.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office spokesperson, Police Captain Judesses Catalogo, said they will join the investigation into the PNP recruitment scam.

Catalogo reminded those who want to enter the PNP that they have to follow proper procedures when hiring new police personnel.

He added that they have adopted the new QR code system in the recruitment process to eliminate the “padrino system.”/WDJ