A man posing as a faith healer was arrested in an entrapment operation on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 4:20 p.m. in Purok 2, Barangay Poblacion, Aloguinsan town, after victimizing a senior citizen.
Rodel Cuano Gonzaga, 41, married, a native of Kidapawan City, is detained at the Aloguinsan Police Station facing charges of Fraudulent Acts and violation of Section 11 of RA 9165 (illegal drug possession). The victim is identified as Noy Fonso, 67, married, a businessman residing in the area.
Police Captain Crisanto Arreglo, chief of the Aloguinsan Police Station, told Superbalita Cebu that one of Noy Fonso's children alerted authorities about the scam targeting his father.
The victim and Gonzaga met when they encountered each other at a beach resort in the town the previous week. Noy Fonso operates a soft drinks store near the area, while the suspect had arrived in Pinamungajan town only two weeks earlier to visit his sister. During that reunion, the suspect's family went swimming at the beach and met the victim. Because Gonzaga was articulate, he convinced the victim that he could cure illnesses as a traditional healer, especially since Noy Fonso's wife is disabled and unable to walk. He also claimed that a Yamashita treasure was buried near the victim's house. As a result, Noy Fonso gave a down payment of P50,000.
The suspect returned on Monday evening, April 27, and dug the ground, assisted by the victim, claiming that gold was buried behind the house according to his prediction. The suspect picked up a fragment that he said came from a gold bar unearthed during the digging. He instructed the victim to get a clean cloth to wrap the supposed gold fragment, to avoid detection by spirits wanting to take the gold.
“The victim got a cloth and quickly gathered cut pieces of iron weighing over a kilo that the suspect had painted gold,” Captain Arreglo added.
The fake gold bars were buried by the suspect in the ground, and when the victim returned, they were dug up and discovered as the alleged Yamashita treasure. The victim was overjoyed as several cut pieces of gold bars supposedly part of the Yamashita treasure were found right in their kitchen area. The suspect estimated that once sold, the gold would be worth millions.
The suspect demanded P300,000 from the victim as his professional fee, as well as expenses for the orations he would perform to appease the spirits. The victim said he did not have that much money and suggested that the suspect take his share from the proceeds of selling the gold. However, the suspect refused, claiming it would bring bad luck to touch the gold’s earnings. Gonzaga then demanded P60,000 to buy needles for the oration against evil spirits. The victim consulted his wife and gave the P60,000, which was their store capital. The remaining P200,000 was to be collected on Tuesday, April 28.
The transaction came to light when Noy Fonso borrowed money from his child, which puzzled the family, leading to the entrapment operation. When Gonzaga received the marked money, he was handcuffed and searched, and a package of shabu was found in his possession. The victim's money was not recovered as it had already been sent to the suspect's family in Mindanao.
