DAET, Camarines Norte --- A businessman here lost some P60,000 to con artists who succeeded in having their fake Department of Education checks encashed through rediscounting at his jewelry shop.

        According to the complaint filed by jewelry store owner Claudio Ordinario of San Gregorio Village, Bgy. Mancruz, this town, three women --Evelyn B. Zamora, Gloria B. Manuel, and Leticia B. Rosario -- identified themselves as public school teachers of Guinacutan Elementary School in nearby Vinzons town and asked that their checks be encashed for some fee.

        The suspects, according to the victim, presented to him their Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) IDs to show that they were teachers and convince him to transact business with the trio.

        After two days, however, the bank to which the checks were deposited informed Ordinario that the checks were fake.

        Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works district office here has been deluged with complaints from workers hired under a “job order” regarding a certain Engr, Villaluna who allegedly fleece these workers with a “5-6” or usurious lending scheme, out of their delayed salaries.

        These job order workers who are in charge with the maintenance of the national highway by cutting grass on the road sides earn P231.00 a day.

        The complainants said they had no problem in the first month of their jobs because their salaries came on time since a new district engineer was appointed to the post, which everyone thought was a welcome news against malfeasance and other corrupt practices in the office because the new DE happened to be a woman, a first in the district office’s history.

        But things changed when their salaries were delayed during the succeeding months. They said they were soon forced to avail of loans from Engr. Villaluna on a “5-6” basis just so they can make both ends meet.

        When informed of this alleged illegal practice, DE Rosy B. Asurpardo Cantara did not hide her irritation over what she said was a baseless charge that the job order workers’ wages were deliberately “put on hold” to make way for the “5-6” scheme by one of her engineers.

        Nevertheless, a certain Engr. Rodrigo Jalimao of the same office, while also expressing disbelief, asked the complaining workers to put on writing their complaints to start an investigation.

        Almost a month has passed but nothing happened, even while the problem had been brought to the attention of Congresswoman Liwayway Vinzons-Chato. The congresswoman’s office said they had accordingly informed Cantara about the problem but it seemed that the district engineer had not lifted a finger on the plight of the poor job order workers.