Navy officer’s identity stolen by POGO-linked groups

MANILA, Philippines — A Navy officer who defended the country’s sovereign rights against Chinese intruders in the West Philippine Sea found herself a victim of identity theft by POGO-linked firms that used her name in their incorporation documents.

During the Senate’s resumption of its probe on illegal offshore gaming operators on Wednesday, Lt. Jessa Mendoza from the Philippine Military Academy Class of 2014 broke down as she recalled her ordeal in being slapped with tax violation cases after her name was used as incorporator of tax-evading companies.

Mendoza said she received notices from the Bureau of Internal Revenue about the tax deficiencies of foreign companies unknown to her – Xin Wanhao Online Game Technology and Handy International Prime Carry Inc., the latter of which she was named treasurer while foreign names Xiaohui Dai and Wei He were incorporators.

It became worse when in April, she was summoned by the Makati prosecutor’s office asking her to submit a counter-affidavit over the Social Security Act violations of another company, Serart Construction Corp., where she was named official with two other incorporators Zhijian Yi and Haiyan Zhang.

Mendoza, who denied the allegation in the fiscal’s office, said she was indicted and had to post a P108,000 bail bond to avoid detention.

The bogus charges prompted her to do a reverse search of her name at the Securities and Exchange Commission. She was shocked to know her name and correct tax identification number were listed in the incorporation papers of 193 corporations, 102 of which sound foreign.

“In light of these distressing revelations, I affirm the truthfulness of my statements and emphasize that I am not affiliated in any of the 193 companies listing me as a director, officer, or incorporator. That I do not know any of the individuals with foreign-sounding names listed as incorporators or directors of the said corporations,” Mendoza said.

“I assert that I have no involvement in any business venture and that the only source of fund or income is my job as a devoted member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which I have committed 14 years of my life in serving my country with courage, integrity, and loyalty,” she added, sobbing.

Mendoza said she has just finished her law studies and is about to graduate next week, expressing fears that the illegal use of her name would “hinder my pursuit to serve the nation and negatively affect my career progression.”

“I have already spent a part of my military career patrolling our western seas, specifically the West Philippine Sea, contributing in my own small way, to the greater effort to safeguard our territorial integrity against foreign intrusion,” Mendoza said.

“It is tragic that, after returning to the supposed safety of our shores, I now find my very person invaded by natural and juridical personalities with foreign-sounding names,” she added.

Mendoza said she hoped her case would be a “cautionary tale” for all to protect their personal information.

Identity theft

Pressed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros on how her name was used by these companies, Mendoza said she suspected her cousin who borrowed her TIN ID in 2016 supposedly for a travel agency.

The cousin is married to a Chinese national.

That cousin and her father, as well as another cousin in the US, would end up being incorporators and directors in the 193 corporations, Mendoza said.

Mendoza’s case is reminiscent of the public market vendors in Tarlac whose names were used as incorporators in Hongsheng Gaming Technology, a raided POGO hub linked to suspended Bamban mayor Alice Guo, Hontiveros said.

Two of the 193 corporations also sounded familiar to Hontiveros – Hong Tai Corp., linked to a Las Piñas POGO hub raided in 2023; and Yangtze River Group, founded by Michael Yang, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser. Yang is being investigated by the House of Representatives for alleged drug links.

Navy vouches for Mendoza

The Philippine Navy, for its part, said it is standing by Lt. Mendoza, whom the military describes as a “junior officer of good repute” whose name and identity was stolen and used apparently by a trusted relative.

“The Navy is fully supportive of her. She is not facing any case before the Navy. She is a victim,” PN spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a mix of English and Filipino during an interview with “Storycon” on One News on Thursday.

“She has a good service record, and the Navy fully supports her,” he added. Trinidad maintained that Mendoza was a victim of identity theft and that she was able to tell the truth during the Senate inquiry.

In a statement, the Philippine Navy said it takes cognizance of the “apparent commission of identity theft implicating the name of Mendoza” and “affirms our support to our fellow serviceman in her resolve to prove her innocence and clear her reputation.”

“We can attest to Lt. Mendoza’s untarnished record in her decade of honorable service in the Philippine Navy, always upholding the core values and highest standards of being a respectable naval officer,” the Navy statement read.

“A formal internal inquiry was likewise initiated in close coordination with Lt. Mendoza aimed toward shedding light on how her name was dragged into this issue,” the statement added. –  Michael Punongbayan, Janvic Mateo