Sextortion in the Philippines With Mariana Van Zeller

National Geographic's television show Trafficked: Underworlds with Mariana Van Zeller features the host traveling around the world documenting the dark underbelly of society. In season 4 episode 2 Mariana investigates sextortion. The trail leads her to the Philippines.

The program begins in Utah where Mariana discusses the case of a teenager named Jake. He was contacted on Facebook by a beautiful woman.  But she did not want to play unless he sent her a full body nude picture. He saved their conversation which went as follows:

Scammer: Take a full body nude photo and then we can play.  

Jake: How do I know I cont trust you?  

Scammer: We are just going to play no need for trust issues. 

Of course the scammer immediately threatens to send his picture to all his friends and family unless he wires money. Jake begs them to stop but they refuse. Jake then kills himself. 

But thankfully he saved all the messages and in his suicide note he told his mom to check the messages so she can find the address to where he wired money. It is the Philippines. 

Mariana Van Zeller hopes to track down Jake's extortionist who is using the name Mariz Abril. She meets a contact, a journalist who investigates cybercrime. He describes sextortion as: 

This is a calling, a passion this is no easy job. Becasue it's risky, really risky. 

Mariana asks her contact:

Why is the Philippines such a center of sextortion?

He says:

First thing, we're an English speaking country. They are familiar on how to befriend to build the trust and relationship to their victims. Number two, they can easily work without authorities noticing them. 

She then makes her way to Angeles City and talks to a trans dancer named Yumi. 

Yumi turned to scamming during the pandemic. She befriended an older German man online. When he suggested they get sexy she started recording. Yumi then threatened to send the video to his wife and son if he did not send money. He sent the money but not everyone has though she has not followed through on her threats to spread the photos and videos.

Mariana then follows the trail to Bulacan where she speaks with "Claudia." She is not a lone wolf but works as a scammer in a large organization with cubicles and management. This is where she segues into talking about the Queen of Sextortion, Maria Caparas.

On her hunt for Maria she talks with a man named Jamie who worked for her. 

Before the pandemic he participated in transsexual pageants for money. During the lockdown he turned to sextortion. 

During the pandemic I didn’t have a heart because at that time I did not have savings. I had absolutely no money. I was really super evil. That’s how I was. I didn’t have a heart for them. Even if you would die in front of me, I wouldn’t care as long as I get what I want.

It was Maria Cabereras who taught him the sextortion racket. 

Someone came to our place. A woman. This Woman was very rich. She became like a mother to us, a “madam.” She was the one who taught us how to do the scam. 

Mariana Van Zeller then drives to North Hill hoping to find Maria Caparas. Before setting out she talks to a man named "Peter" who is a government official who has "witnessed the corruptive power of the sextortion industry first-hand."

Mariana: You don’t want your face shown.

Peter: The far reach of the criminal syndicates can be very…how would you put it? 

Mariana: Dangerous? 

Peter: Mhmm. Even in the level of government, you can never really tell who is taking pay, who is taking cuts. And everyone is involved from the local level up to the mid-level government executives, and then I believe high up. 

Peter has more to say about corrupt politicians being complicit in the sextortion industry. 

In terms of corruption level, I guess we’re turning into Mexico and Colombia in so far as extortion is concerned. That’s what I fear the most. 

They invest in their security. They invest heavily on firepower. Rubbing elbows with bigwig politicians around our jurisdiction and other provinces as well. So, her power and influences just goes far reaching. 

Driving into North Hill Mariana is worried about appearing conspicuous. Even so she asks a random woman on a motorcycle where Maria Caparas lives. The woman says follow me and takes her to City Hall where she can find residential records. The women on duty say Maria does not live in town anymore but her sister does. They agree to take Mariana to meet Maria's sister but then one of the women makes a phone call. 

It turns out to be a bust as the local producer says they have to leave town as everyone is alarmed by the cameras and the cops want to know what they are doing. But it's not a total loss as Mariana finds a contact in the Bulacan Jail named Diego who has been involved with sextortion. 

Diego claims he watched one of the men he was sextorting kill himself on camera. 

Mariana: We spent time in the Untied States with families who lost their sons because they committed suicide because of sextortion.

Diego: Really? 

Mariana: You never heard of this? No one ever said, "I'm going to kill myself if you continue asking me for money, blackmailing me?"

Diego: Yes

Mariana: Did they kill themselves?

Diego: Yes

Mariana: They died?

Diego: Yes

Mariana: How did you find out he killed himself? 

Diego: Because the camera of his laptop was on. 

Mariana: Oh my god that's horrible. And you saw it happening? 

Diego: Yes.

Mariana: What did you say? Didn't you ask him to stop?

Diego: We chatted him, but he set up a rope and committed suicide. 

Only Diego knows if that is a truthful confession but Mariana appears to believe and its shock value certainly makes for good television. 

And that is really it. This 45 minute program is nothing but a shock piece. Sure there is a massive problem in the Philippines with cybercrime including sextortion. But the online child exploitation market is bigger. Mariana says:

Combating sextortion requires updated legislation, significant resources, and collaboration between law enforcement agencies around the world. But these things rarely happen, so these crimes continue. As does the pain they cause. 

Actually, these things DO happen. Fighting online child sex abuse is a multi-country effort in the Philippines. Therefore it should be easy to combat sextortion. However, as Mariana van Zeller notes, the Queen of sextortion, Maria Caparas, has been arrested many times but is ALWAYS inexplicably released. Obviously she has help from people higher up the food chain. 

The difference between sextortion and online child sexual abuse is the difference between people who foolishly and willingly send their nudes to strangers and children who are forced into being abused. At no point in this story does Mariana suggest people should stop sending nudes to strangers on the internet. Just think right now how many pictures of nude white men are being sent through the ether and into the Philippines. It is rather hilarious to think the Philippines is bombarded with the digital signals of nude white men.

The Royal Institution Singapore Is A Scam

The Royal Institution Singapore is a scam...of sorts. It's not a diploma mill but it sure looks like one. At its core RIS is really a networking organization disguised in the most outrageous and gaudy fashion imaginable as a Royal Institution. The RIS came to my attention after reading in the news that Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia had been conferred with three honorary degrees from the RIS.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1091550

Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Tuesday said he is inspired by the honorary titles conferred to him by Royal Institution (RI) of Singapore in rites held on Monday. 

“This award will be a source of inspiration for me and will be our standard by now, and we hope that we will be guided with this henceforth,” the mayor said. 

Leonardia was the top honoree among the 45 professionals, who were bestowed various titles during the Royal Institution’s 29th International Conference and Conferment Ceremony, led by founding chairman FDr. Prof. Dr. ATS Ang and chancellor FDr. Prof. Dr. Samuel Salvador in the L’ Fisher Hotel here. 

“I am so happy that I am now part of this institution,” he said. 

Leonardia was granted the title “Doctor Fellow” in recognition of his “meritorious professional experience and academic achievements,” and is hereby authorized to use the designation “FDr.” before his name. 

He also received the title “Honorary Fellow” in recognition of his “exemplary achievements, distinguished expertise, remarkable services, and contributions to society as a brilliant lawyer, outstanding legislator, illustrious public administrator, and transformational leader.” 

He was bestowed as well the title “Doctor Fellow of Royal Institute of Public Administrators” of Singapore for “having successfully fulfilled the requirements for membership” and in recognition of his “meritorious professional experiences and academic achievements” and is hereby authorized to use the designation of “DFRIPAr” after his name. 

Royal Institution is a global professional, multidisciplinary, membership and accrediting institution that serves as a premier platform for smarter and more effective and efficient international networking and collaboration. 

Previously, the Royal Institution had also honored former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Senator Richard Gordon, former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, and renowned urban planner Arch. Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr.

According to their own website the mission of the Royal Institution Singapore is

To recognise the contribution, experience, academic and professional achievements, qualifications, talents and skills of all those who deserve recognition and who want to be distinguished and to continuously provide opportunities to enhance skills, competitive advantages, academic, professional and entrepreneurial status and profiles of RI members.

And their vision is

To be a world class global multidisciplinary professional membership and accrediting institution to level the playing field by recognising people and organisations who deserve to be recognised and be the premier platform for smarter and more effective global networking, connecting education, businesses, commerce, industries and facilitating collaboration, innovation and perpetual learning for more opportunities, benefits, privileges, excellence, global recognition and status.

https://www.ri2020.com/about-us/overview

That is a lot of mumbo-jumbo. Let's cut to the chase. The RIS is not a school. They do not confer degrees. There are no classes or professors. School's out forever! Instead you join as a member and pay them to confer an honorary degree upon you depending on your background. But it's not as simple as that either. Much like Skull and Bones you have to be tapped. Except you can also tap yourself by sending in an application.  Here is the membership flowchart:

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/membership-process

On the membership application you have to choose your preferred Royal Institute.  You can choose from such wildly disparate classes as Royal Institute of Event Management, Royal Institute of Appraisers, Royal Institute of Doctorates, Royal Institute of Body Care, and Royal Institute of Air Conditioning and Heating Engineers. The list is very long so surely you will find a place for yourself.

Now that you have been accepted for membership you need to pay your fee which is based on the Professional Title for which you have qualified.

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/membership-fees

All the qualifications for the titles listed above can be found here. Along with the membership title you also have to choose the appropriate robe and accoutrements. Each title has a different style of robe.

https://www.ri2020.com/individual-membership/ri-robe

And that's it. Nothing to it. You pay your money. You get your robe and your title and if you want to stay a member you pay the annual fee. It's hogwash, malarky, poppycock! You are paying big bucks to wear a fancy robe, get a silly title, and network with other people. Networking is the most important thing RIS offers. Nobody cares about the frivolous titles the RIS bestows upon people. Just take a look at these clowns.

No, not those clowns. These clowns!

What is the point of what they are doing? They are not graduating from a school. They are not receiving a degree. They are parading around in colorful robes and patting themselves on the back.  Even former President Gloria Arroyo is a member of RIS.

https://www.ri2020.com/about-us/governing-council/patrons

GMA actually does have a PhD in economics which is why the economy was so robust during her term as President. Everything after the BA is an alphabet soup related solely to the RIS. HonFRI means Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institution. Honestly no one cares. Royal Institution Singapore sounds very much like The Royal Institution which is a much hallowed scientific society in Britain and has been around since 1799.  The RIS is a pay for play show and has only been around since 2003.

Another thing RIS does is have monthly international conferences. Most of these seem to be located in the Philippines.

https://www.ri2020.com/upcoming-events

It's a money making scheme. They have to have conferences to accept new member's fees and confer upon them silly titles which mean nothing in the real world. Why do Filipinos eat up this tripe like it's the greatest thing in the world? I think the Augustinian friar Gaspar de San Augustin can shed some light on the matter.

49. They are very vain, and they spend their money never more willingly than in functions of vanity; for they consider themselves highly; and wish to be esteemed without doing anything worthy of esteem. The men especially, even though they do not have anything to eat, must not for that reason fail to have a shirt and a hat, and to dress in style. They give banquets very frequently, for very slight causes; and everything resolves itself into eating, drinking, and great noise. Their vanity is the only thing that causes them to lessen their laziness, in order to get the wherewithal to keep up this esteem, and applause from their compatriots. 

http://www.philippinehistory.net/views/1720sanagustinb.htm

You would think a man who used to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines wouldn't fall for this nonsense but you'd be wrong.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/129339/honorary-titles-conferred-former-cj-davide-lawyer-go

“I have had received 14 honorary doctoral degrees, mostly doctor of laws honoris causa, but they were conferred on me months or years apart from each other during my tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” Davide said in his acceptance speech. 

“I thank the Royal Institution for placing me in the honored ranks of its many awardees,” he said. 

Davide was conferred Honorary Fellow and Doctor Fellow of RIS, and Doctor Fellow of the Royal Institute of Lawyers, Singapore. 

“This is the first time in my life that on the same occasion, I got conferred with three awards,” the 20th chief justice said.

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide thanks the RIS for placing him in the honored ranks of its many awardees. Is he saying that tongue in cheek? Notice that he mentions his other honorary degrees are "honoris causa" which means they are real honest to goodness honorary degrees granted by legitimate universities. 

An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, a dissertation, and the passing of comprehensive examinations. It is also known by the Latin phrases honoris causa ("for the sake of the honour") or ad honorem ("to the honour"). 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorary_degree

This means that RIS does not bestow honorary degrees upon anyone! They only confer titles of rank within their organization. And you must pay a fee for those meaningless and worthless titles.

President Duterte sent the RIS a congratulatory letter last year in celebration of their 15th Global Conference.

https://www.facebook.com/ri2020/photos/a.2434303239980725/2434304059980643/?type=3&theater

Manny Pacquiao, DND Sec Lorenzana, Senate President Sotto, Sen. Lacson, and a few other politicians also sent congratulatory letters. Are they all members of this group?

The Royal Institution of Singapore is pretty ridiculous. The fees, the titles, the regalia....it's all so comical.  But if you think it can't get any more insane, well hold onto your chair.

https://www.apolloquiboloy.com/news/pastor-apollo-crowned-patron-by-royal-institution-singapore/

Reverend Executive Pastor Doctor Fellow Apollo C. Quiboloy was conferred Patron status in a Special Global Convocation and Investiture Ceremony and Crowning by the Royal Institution Singapore (RI), September 3, 2019. 

RI Singapore is a prestigious international accrediting body that recognizes exemplary professional, social and civic achievements by individuals around the world. 

The special event was held at the KJC Hall, Jose Maria College Compound, in Davao City, Philippines, with the theme “Global Citizenship as a Platform for Universal Peace.”
To witness the special investiture ceremony, gracing the event was 14th President of the Republic of the Philippines, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 4th Conferred Patron of RI Singapore, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

During the event, Pastor Apollo’s 11 Honorary Doctoral Fellow titles were recognized in the fields of Education, Environment, Human Resource, Humanities International Relations, Management, Mass Communication, Philanthropy, Social Work, and one special citation as Ambassador for Peace. 

The title of Patron is the highest appointed titles that Royal Institution Singapore can confer to any person. It is awarded to individuals who possess, among others, exceptional ethical leadership skills, is at the epitome of success in their field, and thus worthy of emulation by humanity. Awardees must also be concerned with the quality of life of the masses, and must support programs for the protection and the preservation of nature and the environment, all of which Pastor Apollo checks all boxes and more. 

Anyone who takes the Royal Institution Singapore seriously is a grade A idiot.

MLM Scam Products: Juice and Coffee

Do you like coffee but wish it was more healthy for you? Do you want to be white without the hassle of toxic creams laden with mercury? Have I got the products for you!

Experience health and beauty altogether in just a drink pack with hug quality fruits and vegetables extracts mixed together in a delicious fruity twist. Helps whiten skin with a slimming effect for guilt free indulgence.

Yes now you too can be white just with a simple sip of Lipoglow! Lipoglow will slim your figure and turn your skin white just like your favourite movie stars. It's got all the whitening ingredients like glutathione and collagen!  Mmmm yum!  Who does not like drinking collagen? Spike your coffee with a little collagen and you got yourself a Special Beauty Blend Beverage.

Collagen is not the only special ingredient in this coffee mix.

Tongkat Ali, Gotu Kola, Stevia, Agaricus Mushroom, Saw Palmetto, plus 12 fruits and vegetable extracts!  Now that's a proper coffee. Better than a hot black cup of joe at 6 am to kickstart the day. But if you are looking for an espresso drink there is also Mangosteen Cappuccino Coffee.

https://www.pmscoffee.com/products/mangosteen

With mangosteen, spirulina, brown sugar, ganoderma, gravitol, and gotu kota you will be losing weight and improving your health in no time!

If none of these drink mixes catches your fancy there are plenty more at the PMS website.

https://www.pmscoffee.com

Who needs boring real coffee with all that caffeine when you can drink these miracle mixes which will improve your health? Be sure to check the kiosks in the mall. They might be well stocked with Green Coffee and slimming green teas and all the other miracle drinks like King's Herbal.

Young Living Essential Oils

I just got back home from a four hour presentation for Young Living. This is an MLM company which sells essential oils and other products infused with essential oils and marketed toward those who wish to live a healthier lifestyle. They are based in Utah, USA and have a worldwide network of distributors. Now I could sit here and tell you many things about this company and the presentation I endured. I could tell you how I ended up there.

I could tell you that to join the team you have to buy a starter kit worth P9,180.

From left to right starting at the top: Frankincense, Digize, Copaiba, Lavender, Lemon
Bottom row: Panaway, Peppermint, Citrus Fresh, Raven, Thieves

I could tell you about some of the silly and absurd science one of the presenters spouted off like when mixing essential oils you have to wait for the molecules to join. Or about one essential oil turning off your sympathetic gland so you can sleep! Or that using these oils will cure various ailments like high blood pressure.

Or how some of Young Living's distributors once promoted their oils as being able to fight Ebola which resulted in a warning letter from the FDA.

https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/young-living-09222014

I could tell you all the same tired crap about how this MLM scheme is different from other MLM schemes because the product is pure and good and you can really make a lot of money if you build your downlines and buy a certain amount each month.

I could tell you all that and more but I will not. Instead I will tell you that the final segment of this presentation was how to make your own soaps and cleaners. They called it the DIY lifestyle but it was far from that. Basically you buy a product like liquid soap, add a drop or two of essential oils, add a little water, and shake. Ta-da! Now you have body wash.

If it was really DIY you would be rendering fat and making your own soap. Buying ready made soap and adding a drop of overpriced Young Living brand essential oils and calling that DIY is ridiculous.

But what really took the cake was when they made their own Lysol aerosol spray. With vodka!

These ladies told us more than once that they aren't doctors, they are just mommies, passionate parents, who love the product and use it on their kids and husbands when they are ill. So that's mommy mixing up the medicine. She added 1/4 vodka, 5 drops of thieves oil (a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, rosemary, and eucalyptus), 5 drops of lemon oil, a little cold water, and shook it up vigorously. Voila! An aerosol spray fit for a drunk.

Here is the vodka just in case you cannot tell from the previous picture. Now after they demonstrated how to make the soaps and cleaners they raffled them all off. Guess who won the vodka collins mommy poured? 

Yes they put on the wrong label! This is the aerosol spray not the cleaner.

You guessed it!  Me. Wanna know how it tasted?  Like drinking a clove cigarette!

An American and His Pinay Girlfriend: A Love Story

Filipina love scams are not uncommon but this one really takes the cake. It has to be the most pathetic, I mean the most wonderful, love story I have ever read.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/08/11/american-lover-sticks-with-filipina-girlfriend-despite-kidnap-me-hoax-missing-money/

Once upon a time in 2015 in the mystical, magical land of the Arabian Nights an American and a Filipina met and fell in love.

Based on the background investigation, Estomo said the American and the Filipina met in Kuwait in 2015 and immediately fell in love.

Like many lovers these two planned out their future together. When the Filipina returned to the Philippines it was decided the American (names have been withheld in this story) would send money to be placed into a savings account. She would use some of the money to build a house and the rest would be savings to live on when he finally arrived.

When the Filipina went back home, the American started sending her money for their savings. Police found out that since 2015, the American was able to send the Filipina a total of $300,000, or approximately P15 million.

And since the money includes daily expenses and the construction of their house, the American thought that they have at least P5 million savings in the bank.

Finally in May 2019 the American decided to visit the Philippines and his lover so they could begin living their lives together. 

“It all started when her American boyfriend went to the Philippines in May this year and discovered that their savings in the bank was already emptied,” said Estomo.

Estomo said that when the American asked the Filipina victim to show him the bankbook, the latter refused and went ballistics. It was then that the American found out that what was left in their savings is P300.

From P15 million to just P300.  What a shock that must have been. But it was only the Filipina who "went ballistics." The American kept his cool and like any good Christian turned his cheek and forgave her.

But despite the incident, the American reportedly forgave his live-in partner and decided to forget everything by asking her to come with him to the United States.

The United States! It is literally the dream of the whole world to come to America. "On the boats and on the planes, they're coming to America." But this Filipina did not want to go to America.

The Filipino girlfriend refused and instead burned their house in Caba town in La Union. On Saturday, she went missing.

She did not simply not want to go to America, she didn't want anything more to do with her American boyfriend so she burned down the house they were building or had built together and disappeared. A little while later her daughter received a text message.

He said that it was the victim’s daughter from his previous relationship who received a text message that her mother was taken by two armed men and was taken to Dagupan City.

Kidnapped! By armed men!  What price for her release?

“They were also told to prepare P5 million in exchange for her release,” said Cereno.

But it was all another scam!

But when the victim was rescued in a budget hotel in Dagupan City, the AKG operatives immediately sensed that there was something wrong. It was during the strategic interrogation that the supposed kidnap victim squealed that it was all a hoax.

The Filipina was found at a budget hotel and it seems she emptied the savings account she had with her American boyfriend just prior to his arrival.

During the rescue operation, AKG operatives found several withdrawal slips indicating that the victim emptied their bank account with her American boyfriend.

She withdrew and squandered all that money on who knows what leaving a measly P300. Then she burned down the house and faked a kidnapping to earn back the P5 million her boyfriend expected to find. Did she really think she could fake a kidnapping and replace the money she stole with the ransom? Yes. She did.

Despite all this her boyfriend still loves her.

The American, despite the incident, would not press charges and was already reunited with his ‘abducted’ Filipino girlfriend.

What can you say to a story like this? It really warms the cockles of your heart doesn't it? Here is true love in action. Though this woman stole all his money and burned down the house he is still committed to her. Truly the love story of the year! I'm sure the song of his heart is "Keep on using me until you use me up."

Is Kapa Community Ministry Really Just a Scam?

Kapa Community Ministry is in a lot of hot water. Accused of being a ponzi scheme they have had their SEC registration revoked. In spite of that they are still operating and local politicians have refused to shut them down. Now Duterte has jumped into the fray ordering their immediate shut down. Both the PNP and SEC are preparing criminal cases. The NBI has even raided their offices despite not having a case! The raids were executed in hopes of finding evidence to build one!

What is this all about?  Let's take a brief look.

Kapa Community Ministry is the ministry of Pastor Joel Apolinario which he founded in 2016. According to the Kapa website Pastor Joel Apolinario is: 

...a Pastor, a Scientist and an Inventor for the system he is employing with where donor of any amount as member of the Kapa Commnunity Ministry International Inc. can continously recieve a love gift.

https://kapamilyonaryo.com

Here he is posing with his wife and an award for community service:

This award plays very prominently in the marketing of the ministry.

Nothing says "legit" like calling your ministry "100% Legit." The reason Kapa insists they are legit is because some are alleging that Kapa is running an investment scam where you will receive a 30% return for life.  As the bio for Pastor Joel says donors can continuously receive a love gift. Calling investors donors rather than investors is another part of their stab at legitimacy. Kapa is after all a religious organisation and not a business.

Here is how it works:

KAPA-COMMUNITY MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL INC, is a legitimate non-denominational ministry, a religious corporation organized under Philippine laws and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Company Registration No. CN2017707724 represented by KAPA FOUNDER Joel A. Apolinario hereinafter referred to as the DONEE.  

The DONOR is a member of this organization that for and in consideration of the generosity which the DONOR has for the DONEE. The donated amount shall be used for the ministry to achieve its mission and vision for the propagation of religious faith, establishment of livelihood programs for the benefit of its members. The DONEE does accept this donation and does express his gratitude for the kindness and liberality of the DONOR.  

HOW TO JOIN AND BECOME A KAPA MEMBER?  

Voluntarily support the ministry by donating a certain amount of money with the minimum of five thousand pesos (5,000.00) and maximum of one million pesos (1,000,000.00) out of your willingness and generosity. 

The KAPA office will give you application forms to be filled upon membership registration in order for you to become a bona fide member of the organization. 

For those who are in abroad (ofw's) and far distant places, kindly send your donations to the trusted and honest person whom you are comfortable with as your sponsor to assist, manage and transact your money faithfully at the Kapa office. Be sure that your donation is in good hands.  

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER MEMBERSHIP?  

Through your willingness and generosity to support the ministry, the founder itself will generously give you blessings monthly as reward in a form of LOVE GIFTS. More blessings will be given to you monthly as your love gifts based on the amount donated. The coverage of receiving this love gifts is lifetime depending upon the person's interest if he/she wants to quit for some reasons.  

The Biblical principle simply states: "The more you give, the more you receive." Luke 6:38. Thus, no wonder that when you donate (give) a certain amount wholeheartedly, you will surely receive the blessings heartily given from the founder. This is the prerogative of the founder to do so in order to answer all your needs and wants in life. Our common denominator here is only TRUST to the ministry.  

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

https://kapamilyonaryo.com

You, the donor, give to Pastor Joel, the donee, a minimum of P5,000 every month and you will receive a reward in the form of love gifts. The amount of the gifts is all based on how much you donate. Keep in mind Pastor Joel is the donee which means the money goes to him and not to Kapa as such. The money goes to him and he does with it as he sees fit. It is also important to note that the donor will receive love gifts and not money. There is nothing said about money and that is important for legal reasons on Pastor Joel's part. Of course as we shall see the implicit understanding is that money will be received.

Here is a little more about the blessings one can expect to receive from being a Kapa member.

Basically you do get a 30% return on your money every month and you get access to their vast network. But sill they don't say outright you get money. Donors receive blessings.  Just how blessed it is to have access to Kapa's vast network? Take a look at their website and you will see Kapa owns textile manufacturing centres, mines, mango plantations, rice fields, poultry farms, fishing boats, and has a medical mission. They also have a 100% legit community service award from Gawad Pilipino which means their community service is for real. Expect it's only for members. 

Kapa has been facing an uphill battle for a while having their SEC registration revoked and even though Duterte might finally smash them members at least did their best to vote for those who support them.  Here is a sample ballot.

https://www.facebook.com/kapateamgensan/posts/2248989398697521?comment_id=2249308395332288&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D

Do Bato, Go, and Marcos really support Kapa? Apparently. 

If Kapa is a scam then why are many people supporting it? Kapa was founded in 2016 but already boasts a large network of supporters, 10 million according to the video at this link, and is able to engage in community service on an enormous scale. How did they grow so fast? How does one obtain mines and farms in only a few years? Who the heck is Pastor Joel Apolinario and what does he teach exactly? What kind of religious organisation signs up with the SEC? I don't know because I cannot find any information about their teaching and beliefs or their history. What I want to answer is why people would support an organisation that some consider to be a scam.

The answer is the benefits. The tangible benefits of rice, fish, poultry, and whatever else is given to them no matter how small. While not a socialist state the Philippine government is tasked with many social duties. Read through the hefty and convoluted constitution for yourself to find out. Yet the government is so corrupt they don't provide anything. Social welfare agencies sometimes do not even spend their full budget which means programs do not get put into place. People go homeless and hungry. Universal healthcare is right around the corner but with PhilHealth skimming off the top who will trust them to run it? When a man like Pastor Joel comes along offering not only monetary benefits but also tangible goods why wouldn't the people trust him? He comes in the name of God. He says "To God be the glory," he gives them food and medical care, and in return they only have to give a minimum of P5,000 each month.

There are other elements too of course such as the sense of community which can be both good and toxic. The community INC offers is toxic and leads to families splitting up. I don't know that Kapa has split any families but LGU's have been hesitant to shut them down so there is the possibility of Kapa being a toxic community. Kapa seemingly wields political power by bloc voting not unlike the INC.

None of the articles I have read mention a single word about the farms, mines, clinics, and other community projects and services Kapa undertakes for its members.  The focus is solely on the 30% return. While hoping for a 30% monthly return on an investment is foolish I don't think that is the whole reason people are signing up. Without fully investigating Kapa's charitable work and community programs we will not be seeing the big picture.

Right now the government has a whole of nation approach to fighting terrorism wherein they seek to address the root causes of terrorism by providing more government support for citizens. If they wish to keep people from groups like Kapa, who are offering things the government is supposed to supply, then the government will have to step up and implement the programs it has promised and which are constitutionally mandated.

The Lies of Edinell Calvario and Healing Galing

Last year I wrote an article about vagina steaming which was being offered at Healing Galing clinics. The very thought of a woman steaming her private bits for some health benefit was ridiculous to me so I riffed on that and their taint bath service. To round out the article I examined the qualifications of Dr. Edinell Calvario who is the owner of Healing Galing. Recently I received an email informing me that Edinell Calvario was not happy with my article, wanted to find out my identity, and requesting that I please delete the article in question. I replied that Edinell Calvario should email me detailing her concerns about the article in question. I have yet to hear from her.

DR. EDINELL CALVARIO IS NOT A LICENSED MEDICAL DOCTOR!

Researching further into Miss Calvario and Healing Galing I have stumbled across the most unsurprising revelation: Dr. Edinell Calvario is a liar and Healing Galing sells products with outrageous and dangerously fraudulent claims.  Shocking, right?  Not really when you know that she received a Phd in Alternative Medicine from what is essentially a diploma mill in Sri Lanka. She might balk at that accusation but I ask her: what was your dissertation thesis, where can I access and read your dissertation, who was your doctoral advisor, how many years of schooling did you attend in Sri Lanka? Even if she did legitimately earn her Phd it is still a Phd and not an MD. Edinell Calvario is not a licensed medical doctor.

Calling someone a liar, as I have called Edinell Calvario is a charge which requires proof and I will lay it all out for you now. I will do this by looking at two of her products which seem to be the most popular: the EC27 Guava Soap and the Healing Oil.

Let's start by looking at her products page. Specifically let us look at the product details for the EC27 Guava Plus Soap. This is what we see.

http://healinggaling.ph/blog/product/ec27-guava-plus/

No therapeutic claims. Every single one of her products has this disclaimer. No therapeutic claims. Now this is a lie because Edinell Calvario makes 27 therapeutic claims for this soap she invented. That is why 27 is in the name of the product. In fact you can see that claim on the box in the picture. The picture of the product contradicts the statement "No Therapeutic Claims" because the box itself makes therapeutic claims for the product! Here is the same product listing from 2016.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160302222756/http://healinggaling.ph/blog/product/ec27-guava-plus

Look at all those therapeutic claims!

Benefits 

For 27 skin conditions. Best for hair loss, dandruff, pimple/acne, psoriasis, skin asthma, body odor/excessive sweating, dermatitis, allergy, bed sore, dry skin, insect bite, warts and skin tag prevention, masculine and feminine hygiene, skin rash, itching, wounds, scaly rough skin, jock itch space (had-had), boils (pigsa), blister (mamaso), papule (butlig), pityriasis versicolor (an-an), prickly heat (bungang-araw), ringworm (buni), scabies (galis-aso), athletes foot (alipunga).

How about the product EC Healing Oil? Surely it must have curative properties. It's in the name.

http://healinggaling.ph/blog/product/ec-healing-oil/

No therapeutic claims. Though it's writ large on the bottle in the picture, "Effectively Controls Ailments and Diseases." Again the picture of the product contradicts the statement "No Therapeutic Claims" because the bottle itself makes therapeutic claims for the product! Now let's take a look at this same page as it appeared in 2015.  

https://web.archive.org/web/20150712073037/http://healinggaling.ph/product/ec-healing-oil/

What a difference. There are quite a few therapeutic claims being made for this oil. 46 of them in fact.

Benefits 

Best for aches and pains, cough, colds, swelling/inflammation, eye condition, sinusitis, sore throat, tonsillitis, asthma, tuberculosis, stomach condition, vomiting, ear condition, constipation, painful menstruation, paralysis, poor blood circulation, heart condition, lung ailment, kidney disorder, liver problem, stiff neck, atrophy, frozen shoulder, hematoma, mayoma, high blood pressure, dizziness, diarrhea, lump, diabetes, itching, boils (pigsa), anemia, falling hair, dead fingers/toe nails, wound, massage, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, insomnia, burns, insect bites, cramps, numbness, palpitation. For topical use only.

Why would Edinell Calvario list all these benefits for both the soap and the oil and then suddenly retract them? Most likely because the FDA came breathing down her neck. Does this mean those products never produced the benefits listed? If so that means she was lying to her customers. But wait. She still lists all those benefits as applying to both the soap and the oil as well as all her other products. In fact the EC27 Guava Soap and the Healing Oil both come packaged with a little sheet listing all the benefits.

Sadly the soap I bought was missing the sheet listing what it's best used for but I did receive a large packet of information which contained all the uses and benefits of the soap.

This means Edinell Calvario is deceiving the FDA by continuing to make unfounded therapeutic claims about her products. Just not on the Healing Galing website. In official Healing Galing literature she still informs her customers that all Healing Galing products have therapeutic benefits.

Let's step back a bit and look more at the EC27 Guava Soap which Edinell Calvario lists as her invention on her bio page.  If we go to the Philippine patent office website and do a search we find the following:

http://onlineservices.ipophil.gov.ph/wopublish-search/public/detail/patents?id=PH22003000229

We see she has a patent for "a novel guava soap" composition.  Under the abstract we read:

A novel composition for guava soap comprising the following: The said composition is made from natural guava extract from fresh young guava leaves, calamansi and dayap. The bar soap is specifically used as antibacterial and germicidal soap.

Notice that in this patent the only ingredients are guava leaves, calamansi, and dyap which is key lime.  On her webpage she lists the ingredients as guava extract and special oils.  What are these oils?  They are not listed in the patent. Maybe there is more information in the papers she filed which is not displayed on this page. What we do know is that her soap is listed as being "specifically used as an antibacterial and germicidal soap."

How does she get from these two benefits, antibacterial and germicidal, to 27 benefits? One of the 27 benefits is that it controls your ringworm. That would mean the soap would also have to be an anti-fungal soap containing ketoconazole or some other medication to kill the fungus. Also for the soap to be an antibacterial and germicidal soap it would have to contain the ingredient triclosan. Then again it could simply be made with tea tree oil which has been traditionally used as an anti-fungal and antibacterial but why would she omit that from the list of ingredients? There is nothing special or secretive about tea tree oil. It is a very common oil used in many products. Of course the soap does not smell at all like it has tea tree oil in it so there might not be any.

Did Edinell Calvario carry out any tests with her soap to find out what skin ailments it would help control? That word control is very important.  Note on the box it does not say the soap will cure anything. It merely "effectively controls 27 skin ailments." It's a way to wiggle out of any  legal responsibility should someone sue her because the soap did not cure their skin aliment.

But who wants to merely control their ringworm? Or scabies? Scabies!? This soap may alleviate the itching associated with scabies but it won't kill the mites or the eggs they have buried in the skin nor does the soap make that claim. Medical treatment is needed to eradicate scabies. The claim that this soap can control scabies is an outright lie. If you don't treat your scabies infestation with more than this soap they will definitely get out of control!

The soap is also best for mamaso, also known as impetigo, which is a highly infectious skin disease. An antibacterial soap might be good to use on the skin but you will need antibiotics to cure the disease.

There is one more benefit to this soap and it is listed on the back of the box.

It also whitens the skin! So now the soap has glutathione?

From being specifically an antibacterial and germicidal soap to being able to control 27 skin ailments to being also a skin whitener! It appears she lied on her patent application by indicating that this soap is to be "specifically used as an antibacterial and germicidal soap."

On what basis are these claims made for this soap? Did Edinell Calvario carry out any tests? Is there any research, controlled trials, to back up her claims that this soap is beneficial for anyone with one or more of the listed skin ailments? Or is she making these claims based solely on the ingredients? Did she figure if the soap is antibacterial and germicidal it would be a cure-all or rather a control-all? But how does she know it is antibacterial and germicidal? Based on the ingredients or based on tests?

Let's take a closer look at the claims of the Healing Oil. Here is a close-up of the sheet that comes packaged with the Healing Oil.

There are 46 benefits listed here and not all of these are benefits one would expect from an oil that is for topical use only. Of course that caveat, while present on her old webpage product listing, is not listed on her current webpage or anywhere on the bottle or the paper which accompanies it. Nor is it in the huge packet of information I received when I bought the product. These 46 uses for the oil are the same as on her old webpage listing which begs the questions: Why are internal ailments which can only be treated by ingesting something on this list of uses if the oil is for topical use only? Is this oil still for topical use only? If not then why not? What changed about the oil? If so then why is there no indication that it is?

Now perhaps I am just unaware about the proper procedure to apply the oil so I ask how and where does one apply the Healing Oil topically in order to alleviate the following internal problems:

2. Cough
3. Cold
7. Sore throat
8. Tonsilitis
9. Asthma
10. Tuberculosis!!!
11. Stomach condition
12. Vomiting
13. Ear condition
14. Constipation
15. Painful menstruation
18. Heart condition
19. Lung ailment
20. Kidney disorder
21. Liver problem
26. Myoma
27. High blood pressure
29. Diarrhoea
31. Diabetes!!!!!
34. Anemia

All of these ailments require a medicine going into the body to alleviate them. Where are you supposed to rub the oil to help with your diarrhoea or constipation or vomiting? What exactly does this oil do for one who has diabetes? Diabetics have to inject insulin. How about myomas?  A myoma is a noncancerous fibroid growth in the uterus or cervix. If the oil is for topical use only how is it supposed to offer any benefit to those suffering from myomas when they are inside the vagina? Is the oil rubbed into the skin whereby it can soak down into the myoma?

The outside of the bottle reads "Effectively controls ailments and diseases." How? She doesn't tell us and just from what's on the list you know it's a lie. Tuberculosis? Diabetes!? Those are serious diseases which require medical attention from a medical doctor. This oil won't help you.

These nondescript and nonspecific claims of controlling diseases are a real danger because people look to Edinell Calvario and Healing Galing for medical advice even though she is not a medical doctor, not licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines, and has no business offering medical advice or selling products with outrageous therapeutic claims. Here is the experience of one person who visited Edinell Calvario's clinic in Quezon City.

I've been ill for quite sometime reason why I've been focus lately on getting better.  A friend of mine told me she's been listening to Healing Galing every weekend and the show mentioned something about my illness so she wanted me to at least give it a try. 

Healing Galing is a show in Aksyon TV 5, aired in FM radio 92.3 every Saturday at 6-8am and every Sunday at 11-12noon hosted by Dr. Edinell Calvario that mainly works on naturopathy or naturopathic medicine, a form of alternative medicine which is based on natural healing power of nature.  I think it is also being aired in cable tv and maybe in TV5 as well, just that we don't have cable and we have a bad network connection of TV5 (maybe they should focus on getting this fix first, i think this is one of the reason why most people were not able to watch their shows).   

As I enter the site, I asked the reception area if I could get a number for check up.  I was given a form with a list of products and it has a number.  I went few minutes before break time that I had to wait until after lunch. 

As soon as my number was called, the lady in the reception asked what is my problem and asked to open my mouth to check my tongue.  I've seen this tongue reading before from Dr. Tan of Binondo so I wasn't surprised at all.  Anyway, she also checked my fingertips/nails saying how pale my nails were saying I'm anemic (which is true).  She discussed further and explained everything I need to know, especially maintaining a healthy diet.  She checked all the things I need for a week, and to be honest, it cost a lot.  I was able to buy her recommendations good for only three days.  

http://www.adventurousfeet.com/2013/06/healing-galing-office-in-novaliches.html

The woman is ill. She goes to Healing Galing under the impression they will offer her medical help. She is given a list with all the products for sale and she is made to wait until after the lunch break before anyone sees her. Then the receptionist recommends a lot of products that the lady cannot afford so she only buys few things which will last for three days. Does that sound like any experience you have ever had at a medical clinic? Have you ever gone to a clinic and then had to wait because it's lunch time? Have you ever been given a list of products to buy when you go to a medical clinic?

This building is still the location of Healing Galing but it now also houses the Stem Cell and Longevity Clinic.

To my utter shock and surprise neither this clinic nor Edinell Calvario is on the List of Accredited Medical Clinics and Registered Physicians. That is because, of course, Edinell Calvario is not a medical doctor and is not licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines. So why is she allowed to continue to present herself as one? Why does she have a TV show which reaches millions? Why is she being assisted by TV5 in disseminating her frauds, lies, and deceits?

Hopefully it is clear to you just from these two products, the EC27 Guava Soap and Healing Oil, that Edinell Calvario is being less than honest with her customers and the FDA.

At this point those who swear by alternative medicine and naturopathy might think I am against both and that government only wants regulated, evidence based western medicine to be practised in the Philippines. You would be wrong. There is actually a 1997 law which establishes The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC). According to the Guiding Principles of this law:

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the State to improve the quality and delivery of health care services to the Filipino people through the development of traditional and alternative health care and its integration into the national health care delivery system.

It shall also be the policy of the State to seek a legally workable basis by which indigenous societies would own their knowledge of traditional medicine. 

Further in the law under Article IV we read:

Section 12. Traditional and Alternative Health Care Advocacy and Research Program. – The Institute shall promulgate a nationwide campaign to boost support for the realization of the objectives of this Act. It shall encourage the participation of non-government organizations in traditional and alternative health care and health-related projects. The Institute shall also formulate and implement a research program on the indigenous Philippine traditional health care practices performed by “traditional healers” using scientific research methodologies.

According to the COA:

The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) was created under Republic Act (RA) 8423 otherwise known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (TAMA) of 1997 authored by Senator Juan Flavier and approved on December 9, 1997. It became a turning point in the history of the Philippine Traditional Medicine that the herbal plants became a priority. Henceforth, the ten priority plants namely: Lagundi, Ulasimang Bato, Bayabas, Bawang, Yerba Buena, Sambong, Ampalaya, Niyug-niyogan, Tsaang-gubat and Akapulko are now being promoted. 

The PITAHC is a government owned and controlled corporation attached to the Department of Health (DOH). Its mission is to uphold the right of every Filipino for better health through the provision of safe, effective and affordable traditional and alternative health care products, services and technologies.

https://www.coa.gov.ph/phocadownloadpap/userupload/annual_audit_report/GOCCs/2016/Corporate-Government-Sector/Philippine-Institute-of-Traditional-and-Alternative-Health-Care/PITAHC_ES2016.pdf

Is Edinell Calvario in any way associated with the PITAHC? From the looks of it she is not. Her webpage does not mention them nor does an internet search turn up with both her name and PITAHC except for this programme for a conference on medical pluralism at Cavite State University. The PITAHC is utilising the practises of "traditional healers" in an effort to integrate them into the national health care system. The PITAHC is also, according to the COA, promoting or researching ten traditional healing plants.

Are any of those plants or derivatives of those plants listed on the Healing Galing product page? Is Edinell Calvario promoting the healing techniques of the Philippines' "traditional healers" which have been practiced and handed down for centuries? No. Edinell Calvario is selling people a soap she invented in 2002 and patented in 2006 as well as an oil of unknown provenance. Healing Galing is a marketing gimmick and is not in anyway associated with real bonafide traditional medicine as practiced in the Philippines or anywhere else for that matter.  The same kind of inutile herbal junk being peddled by Healing Galing is also being sold by Dynapharm and USANA. Here is a secret that Edinell Calvario and the rest do not want you to know: none of the products they sell are all natural or herbal. They are manufactured in factories and packaged in plastic bottles or plastic wrapping.

Furthermore the PITAHC is under the auspices of the DOH. Would the DOH partner or associate with Healing Galing and Edinell Calvario when her products are blacklisted by the FDA? Of course not. Therefore it is very likely Edinell Calvario and Healing Galing have nothing whatsoever to do with the PITAHC.

I want to end with some pictures of a packet I received when I visited my local Healing Galing dealer and bought the guava soap and the Healing Oil.

This packet contains health claims, therapeutic claims, for all of her products.

Drinking tawa-tawa tea is best for leukaemia. Best how? As a cure? That is the implication here and if anyone took this advice seriously and drank tawa-tawa tea instead of going in for medical treatment they would end up dead.

Rhizome pills will help reverse kidney failure. What a claim! What an outrageous and fraudulent claim. If this were true imagine how easy it would be to heal your kidneys and stop needing dialysis. But it's not true. It's a lie and Edinell Calvario is a liar for ever making it which is why she removed that claim from her website. But the claim is still being made in the literature her organisation hands out to customers. The USA's National Kidney Foundation says people with kidney failure should not take rhizome because it contains potassium and that is actually bad for people with kidney disease. 

This is the proper position to steam your vagina. Lying down with your legs up against the wall. Actually the lying down position is what you do after your vagina has been steamed and you insert a few drops of the Healing Oil. Is that safe? Putting Healing Oil in your vagina when it's supposed to be for topical use only?

Finally here is the stupidest advice of all. I laughed for a good while when I read it.

Drink warm shaken water because it breaks up the clustering of water molecules and keeps you hydrated longer.  It's hilarious that Edinell Calvario had to add a rationale for this practice because its so obviously dumb. Not just dumb but unscientific and absurd. Your body will absorb all the water you drink in the same way whether shaken, stirred, or still and no amount of shaking is going to uncluster the water molecules.

There is a lot more that could be said about Edinell Calvario and Healing Galing but this should suffice for now. If you are researching Edinell Calvario and Healing Galing products and have stumbled upon this article I hope this has been helpful. Do yourself a favour and do not listen to her health advice. And remember...Edinell Calvario is not and never has been a medical doctor, is not licensed to practice medicine in the Philippines, nor are Healing Galing or the Stem Cell and Longevity Clinic approved and registered medical clinics.