Parañaque City has become the first local government unit in the Philippines to host the Scam Watch Pilipinas On-The-Go Anti-Scam Training Roadshow—marking a milestone partnership aimed at strengthening community-level defenses against the growing threat of online fraud.
Scam Watch Pilipinas Co-Founder Jocel de Guzman said Parañaque was selected as the roadshow’s inaugural site because of the city government’s readiness and commitment to fight scams at the grassroots.
“The vision of Scam Watch Pilipinas is to have a volunteer watcher against scams in every household,” de Guzman said. “This is our first on-ground roll-out, made possible through the strong support of the Parañaque City Government under Mayor Kuya Edwin Olivarez.”
He emphasized that “on-ground” means bringing scam-prevention training directly into communities—from barangays to local organizations—and eventually establishing an anti-scam reporting desk in every barangay hall.
“If someone needs to report a scam, they can immediately call for help through 1326 and the CICC. The goal is to make scam prevention accessible and part of everyday community life,” he added.
Backed by Mayor Olivarez, the initiative officially launched this week with 103 city employees completing Scam Watch Pilipinas’ behavior-based anti-scam training. They now serve as Volunteer Watchers, frontline advocates who will help families and barangay communities detect, resist, and report fraudulent activities.
Mayor Olivarez underscored the urgency of the effort.
“Online scams have become a day-to-day problem,” he said. “Our partnership with Scam Watch Pilipinas is the first step in educating Parañaqueños across various sectors and barangays. We are proud to be the first city to host this Anti-Scam Training Roadshow.”
The roadshow is supported by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, Whoscall/Gogolook Philippines, Meta, WiSAP, Bayan Academy, and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), alongside the Parañaque PIO.
Scam Watch Pilipinas said the Parañaque partnership sets the stage for a broader nationwide rollout of community-based anti-scam education—empowering more Filipinos to become vigilant defenders against online fraud.
