PBBM ‘cousin’ faces nearly P30M syndicated estafa case

A MAN who asserted a familial connection to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. now faces charges of syndicated estafa and estafa before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The respondent, Mario Pacursa Marcos, identified himself as a second cousin of the President, and served as the chief executive officer of Smart Citi Teknologi.

The charges stem from allegations made by three individuals who collectively suffered financial losses amounting to nearly P30 million.

Public relations consultant Jennylei Caberte, contractor Phebie Dy, and retired Army general Arnulfo Jose Marcos are the complainants in this case.

Caberte claims she was deceived by respondent Marcos, who persuaded her to finance press conferences and PR events, resulting in her expenditure of over P13 million under the belief of his presidential kinship.

However, all checks issued by the respondent bounced due to insufficient funds.

Similarly, complainant Dy alleged that Marcos obtained P12 million from her with the promise of a contract related to “big-ticket government projects.”

When Marcos failed to fulfill this promise, Dy requested the return of her funds, but she received nothing more than an unnotarized certificate of title with a deed of absolute sale that lacked valid ownership.

The third complainant, retired Army general Arnulfo Jose Marcos claimed he was misled into investing his pension savings by believing in the respondent’s purported partnership with TESLA Technologies.

He revealed that he had borrowed the money from the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loans Association Inc.

But the TESLA partnership and project turned out to be a hoax. He expressed regret that the funds he borrowed were meant for his son’s education.