President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday ordered the Philippine National Police- Criminal Investigation and Detection Group ( PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI) to shut down Kapa-Community Ministry International for alleged investment scams.

In an interview in Davao City, Duterte told the two agencies Kapa- Community Ministry International, with offices mainly in Mindanao, operates a pyramiding scam.

“To the CIDG, police, the special investigating teams, the CIDG, also NBI, that is pyramiding. That’s why shut it down and haul them (to courts) upon my order,” he said.

Duterte reminded the public if something is “to good to be true”, it’s fraud.

He said Kapa, headed by Joel Apolinario, is clearly into “syndicated estafa”.

“When it is good to be true, it is fraud. Imagine your 100,000 ( pesos) would earn 30,000 (pesos) a month? Even Bangko Sentral (ng Pilipinas) only give three percent,” Duterte said.

“To Filipinos, how many times do I tell you? What is being promised to you is something like heaven. No human, nor bank, even the Bank of America can afford to pay you 30,000 (pesos) every month for your 100,000 (pesos),” he added.

Kapa promises a 30 percent return from what they call “love gift” from the “donations” given by their members.

Last March, the Securities and Exchange Commission released a permanent cease and desist order against the group after it found substantial evidence that it offered and sold securities in the form of investment contracts and in the guise of donations, even without necessary licenses. Ella Dionisio/DMS