The dream of every Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a tangible one: to return home and find the fruits of their prolonged sacrifice manifested in a beautiful, secure home for their family. It is a dream built on years of separation, relentless labor in foreign lands, and, crucially, immense trust in those left behind to manage their hard-earned capital. For Evelyn and Alexander De Dios, a dedicated couple working in Switzerland, this dream turned into a waking nightmare when they entrusted their substantial life savings—totaling approximately P6 million (nearly $108,000)—to a contractor who ultimately vanished, leaving behind only overgrown weeds, exposed dirt, and a trail of meticulously crafted deceit.

This devastating saga of financial fraud and profound betrayal came to a dramatic head when the couple, abandoning their lucrative jobs abroad, returned to the Philippines and sought the aid of the relentless anti-scam advocacy program, BITAG. The resulting investigation and subsequent public manhunt would not only expose the contractor’s alleged fraudulent operation but would also force a confrontation that ripped open the emotional wounds inflicted by years of lies and evasion.

The De Dios couple, like countless balikbayans before them, had ambitious plans for their hard-earned money. They contracted Paul Henry Kayanan, who identified himself as an architect and co-owner of EPRB Construction based in Angeles, Pampanga, after meeting him through social media in June 2022 while they were still in Switzerland. Impressed by the presentation of his supposed business, complete with claims of owning a hardware store and a hollow block factory, they signed contracts for two major residential projects totaling a substantial P7.8 million.

The first project was a two-story apartment building in Marikina City, contracted for P2.6 million, intended to be a future rental property. The second, more luxurious project was a two-story rest house planned for the prestigious Camaya Coast development in Mariveles, Bataan, contracted for P5.2 million. To commence construction on both properties, the couple released funds that eventually accumulated to an estimated P6 million, based on their claims and the total amount discussed in the public confrontation.

However, the excitement and trust quickly curdled into anxiety and then despair. The couple began to notice an alarming stagnation in the projects’ progress. In Marikina, the property that was supposed to be a stately apartment building was merely an overgrown lot, with weeds and tall grass taking over. In Bataan, the rest house project fared no better; despite the significant capital released for the work, only preliminary excavation—described tragically by the victims as nothing more than large “holes in the ground”—had been completed.

The situation deteriorated rapidly when Paul Henry Kayanan performed his classic vanishing act. He ceased all communication, ignoring messages across Viber, WhatsApp, and Facebook, effectively blocking the couple from reaching him and demanding accountability for the substantial funds he had been entrusted with. He had allegedly taken the money and run, abandoning both construction sites and leaving the De Dios couple’s future suspended in uncertainty.

Paul Henry Kayanan’s method of evasion was as elaborate as it was callous. When he was still somewhat responsive, he offered a bizarre string of ever-escalating excuses to justify the perpetual delays: first, it was the persistent typhoons and rainy season; then, he claimed his workers had vanished; following that, he sent excuses that his child had been bitten by a dog and was undergoing painful rabies treatment. The culmination of his deceptive pattern was when he sent a picture of a bandaged foot, claiming he had been injured in a motorcycle accident. The cruel reality, as the couple later discovered through social media snapshots, was that Kayanan was allegedly seen vacationing in places like Boracay, proving that his excuses were nothing more than a smokescreen for his alleged fraudulent misappropriation of their funds.

Frustrated, emotionally drained, and facing the collapse of their life’s work, Evelyn and Alexander De Dios flew home from Switzerland in January 2024 to take decisive, personal action. They immediately approached the BITAG advocacy program, known for its uncompromising investigative approach and highly publicized confrontations with alleged scammers. The moment the couple lodged their complaint, detailing the financial loss and the severe emotional distress caused by Kayanan’s deceptive tactics, the hunt for the contractor began in earnest.

BITAG quickly launched an all-points bulletin, spearheaded by the organization’s demanding ultimatum to Paul Henry Kayanan to immediately “Show up” and “Do not f*** with me,” warning him that his evasion was futile in a small country like the Philippines. The investigation immediately focused on verifying Kayanan’s credentials, a step the victims themselves had failed to complete thoroughly. The BITAG Investigative Team discovered critical discrepancies.

First, a check with the Marikina City Engineering Office revealed that Kayanan himself was not the one who signed the building permits for the apartment project; the permits were signed by an “Architect Bernard Hueco,” leaving Kayanan’s exact role ambiguous and casting doubt on his claim of being the lead architect/contractor. Second, a cross-check with the Angeles City Mayor’s office and its Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) uncovered a more shocking truth: EPRB Construction was not licensed as a construction firm at all. According to the city mayor’s staff, EPRB was licensed only as a “hardware and trading” company, and their license had reportedly lapsed since 2022. This discovery confirmed that Kayanan was allegedly operating under false pretenses, using an irrelevant business license to secure contracts for which he was neither legally qualified nor equipped.

The relentless pressure and detailed investigation by BITAG eventually forced Kayanan out of hiding. The team managed to track him down through his family connections in Angeles, confronting his relatives at the alleged site of the EPRB office, which was found locked and completely empty of equipment. The pressure finally worked: Kayanan arrived at the Barangay hall to face his accusers.

The subsequent confrontation was a raw, emotional scene where the victims vented years of accumulated frustration and financial pain. Evelyn De Dios tearfully recounted Kayanan’s series of fabricated excuses, directly referencing the dog bite and the bicycle accident while contrasting them with his alleged vacation photos. She detailed the poor quality of the initial work, noting that the foundation posts in Marikina were too low for a fault line area, and the Bataan property holes were inadequate. Paul Henry Kayanan attempted flimsy defenses, claiming he lost his cellphone, but his excuses were immediately and angrily dismissed by the betrayed couple.

Cornered, Kayanan finally offered a stunning confession, revealing the alleged reason for his fraudulent behavior: he had taken on too many projects simultaneously—seven in total—and his inability to manage them led to financial ruin. He confessed that he had been forced to use the partial payments received from the De Dios couple to prop up his other failing projects, resulting in his complete bankruptcy and inability to continue any work. This admission confirmed the victims’ worst fears: their hard-earned money had been recklessly used as a band-aid for another man’s financial collapse, and not a single cent had been properly dedicated to their dream home.

Faced with legal peril and public exposure, Paul Henry Kayanan was compelled to enter into a formal, binding settlement agreement. He desperately pleaded that his only way to repay his massive P3 million debt to the couple (the agreed-upon swindled amount) was to go abroad for work, specifically to the United States. BITAG, overseeing the negotiation, mandated strict terms to ensure accountability before he could leave the country. Kayanan was required to immediately produce a P200,000 initial down payment and commit to sending P50,000 monthly until the entire P3 million debt was fully extinguished. Furthermore, a relative of Kayanan was mandated to sign as a guarantor, assuming financial and legal responsibility should Kayanan attempt to evade payment once he left the Philippines.

BITAG ensured the agreement was formalized, witnessed, and understood by all parties. Although the resolution was a negotiated repayment plan rather than immediate restitution, it gave the De Dios couple a legal instrument to pursue civil charges should the contractor fail to honor his monthly commitments. The emotional toll remains, but the couple finally secured a promise of financial recovery, achieved only through the relentless intervention of the anti-scam advocacy group. The tragic case of Evelyn and Alexander De Dios stands as a powerful, public warning to all balikbayans to exercise extreme caution, verify every permit and license, and never let the dream of a future home blind them to the harsh realities of pervasive, sophisticated fraud.