GenSan creates technical body to assist Kapa 'victims'

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The city government has created a technical working group (TWG) to assist residents affected by the national government's closure order of the alleged illegal investment operations of controversial religious group Kapa Community Ministry International Inc.

Mayor Ronnel Rivera said Wednesday he has tasked the TWG to look into the plight of local Kapa members or "donors" and extend some assistance, such as counseling.

Rivera said the TWG is composed of various local government offices and headed by City Social Welfare and Development Office chief Rebecca Magante.

Based on their assessment, the mayor said Kapa's donation scheme, which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged to be a form of Ponzi scheme, involved thousands of residents, including employees of the city government and other government agencies.

Rivera said that based on "conservative estimates", about 95 percent of city government employees are members of Kapa.

A report from the Commission on Audit said the city government has a total of 3,214 personnel assigned in 25 departments, comprising 1,785 on job-order basis, 1,315 permanent, 78 co-terminus, 22 casuals, and 14 elected officials.

Rivera said some city employees have already earned from their "donations", which is paid back by the ministry in the form of "love gift" equivalent to 30 percent monthly.

"We are more concerned with those really affected (by the closure). We will have an office or help desk that will cater to them. We're hoping that they can at least recover their invested capital," he told reporters.

Kapa's investment operations stopped last June 10 after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) raided its offices in parts of the country following President Rodrigo R. Duterte's orders.

The SEC has filed charges against Apolinario and other officials of Kapa, which was founded in Surigao del Sur but is mainly based in Alabel town in Sarangani province, for violation of Republic Act 8799 or the Securities Regulation Code.

Lawyer Regner Peneza, head of the NBI Sarangani District Office, said they already received at least four complaints against Kapa.
Three were from this city and Sarangani province and one from Digos, Davao del Sur, Peneza said.

Rivera said many local Kapa investors are "still in denial stage," with some hoping that its operations will eventually resume and continue to earn from their investments.

"We're expecting that in the next two to three months, this will become intense as they will start to lose hope on getting back their money and I think the complaints will then come in," he added.

Kapa has challenged the government's actions in court. (PNA)