The Online Citizen A Community of Singaporeans
By Lup Cheong
I can’t take it anymore and therefore I am raising the alert in the hope that more people are aware of the situation!
Today I saw them again but not just 2 of them anymore (only 2 spotted during Xmas 2012 period): a whole legion of 20 over number of Filipinos all over Toa Payoh Central asking people to donate to them. It’s been a year plus from end of 2012 and now it’s gotten worse in 2015.
Yes, the same group has been spawning in numbers and it is worrying as a lot of unknowing public have been seen donating to them (especially from the poor, kind-hearted local old uncles and aunties).
Many residents and shoppers have seen them on weekdays, weekends, this Xmas and even weekday late nights (which raise my doubt whether they are legally approved public fund raiser); and there are there many times in a month for more than a year (which raise my doubt further!); and they are growing in numbers (which amplify my doubt to the zillions). Have you seen them?
There were many epic occasions last year (2014) when I was drinking my coffee tarik and happen to see brave people from the public questioning these Filipinos in the Toa Payoh Yio Central shopping area but their 'business' just got bigger over the months as they beefed up their FAQ.
Here' some live cases:
CASE 1:
A Tech Guy: “What is the organization you raising for?”
Pinoy Fund-raiser 1: I don’t know. It’s to help people affected by typhoons.
Pinoy Fund-raiser 2: It’s for ‘KJC’. See, our logo on the tin!
The Tech Guy used his mobile phone, punched a few keys on the phone and walked away to KFC. I guess he check https://www.charities.gov.sg and found no such approved entity.
CASE 2:
Pinoy Fund-raiser 3: Hello, would you like to donate? (In a 100% native pinoy-slang English that we can safely assume they are likely not pinoy maids but PMET-level pinoys – also look at how they organize themselves).
Old Auntie: Ok. [old auntie donated] Small Children: Mummy, I want to donate. I want, I want! [parents donated… you know parents…] ManyMore: [donated silently]
Case 2A:
MsWhatThe: [after donated]. What is this?
Pinoy Fund-raiser 4: It’s our flag (the small sticker they give you when you donate).
MsWhatThe: WHAT THE… it’s just a smiley face sticker. No organization logo?
Pinoy Fund-raiser 5: You want an organization logo for what, Madam? Smiley face cuter you know!
Case 3:
Pinoy Fund-raiser 6 with a sexy tone: Hello, would you like to donate?
Old-hero uncle: Where’s your permit?
Pinoy Fund-raiser 6 with a sexy tone: What permit, Sir?
Pinoy Fund-raiser 7 with a fierce tone: Ignore him.
Old-hero uncle: I call the Mata!
Pinoy Fund-raiser 7: Go ahead, we not scare. Ha Ha, isn’t this our state now? See, look around.
Old-hero uncle: [sad, walk away… many people looking in silence]
Maybe some concerned people from the public had already reported the situation to the authorities. Maybe a few were even caught. I don’t know. But this is perhaps a case where even the best trolls can do nothing about.
Reason One: It will be very hard to ‘catch-them’ as they are always ‘appearing’ and ‘disappearing’ from nowhere.
Reason Two: When they are at the ‘landing-zone’, they are always mobile, moving around the area all the time when they are asking for money.
Reason Three: they really have nothing to lose if caught.
Reason Four: By not using any legal organization logo, they are making use of the ‘grey area’ of the donation rules that applies to all of us – so no wrong?
Reason Five: They are not online.
Reason Six: You can deal with 1 to a few, but how do you deal with a spawn that multiplies so quickly?
So what do you think? Are they legit or not? Need to drink one more Coffee Tarik… feel so helpless.