It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.
Supporters of rival mayoral candidates in the Abra town of Lagayan allegedly engaged in a gunfight on Thursday morning (Jan. 3) along a river bank.
Abra Governor Jocelyn Bernos urged both parties “to calm down and exercise political maturity.”
“We do not need these kinds of bravado,” she said, and encouraged political leaders in the province “to instead focus on sustaining the gains of the province towards growth, prosperity, and progress.”
A good start to 2019. Surely a scolding from the Governor, rather than an investigation and arrests, will stop the violence.
Two police officers face dismissal from service after they allegedly hid during an operation in Negros Oriental to protect themselves.
Sinas said the two policemen, who are cousins, did not participate during the One Time, Big Time operation in Negros Oriental last Dec. 27.
“They had lots of reasons. They said they got lost and they fell down the river,” he said.
Pretty funny. Where will they transfer these two chuckleheads? Maybe give them an office job?
A former mayor of Parang, Maguindanao and his brother were killed in separate alleged shootouts with anti-narcotics agents early dawn Friday in Cotabato City, an official said.
Another politician dead after a shoot out with the cops.
A construction company owned by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s in-laws and its “dummies” snared the entire P10 billion worth of infrastructure projects earmarked for Sorsogon province in 2018, according to House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr.
Presiding over a public hearing on Thursday here, the Camarines Sur representative said Aremar Construction Corp. had partnered with CT Leoncio Construction and Trading and seven other companies to bag several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts.
Documents obtained by the Inquirer showed that Aremar got government project contracts in Sorsogon worth P551 million in the past 12 months.
Andaya said, the amount could be bigger than what he had earlier suspected.
“In this case, it seems that CT Leoncio is just a dummy. The real project proponent is Aremar Construction,” Andaya told the legislative inquiry attended by local DPWH officials from the Bicol region.
“The bidding (process) was just for a show. The role of ‘triple A’ (construction) companies is just to secure the contract and then lend their license to the company that will really undertake the project,” he added.
This story keeps growing. From 551 million to 10 billion and all projects in Sorsogon. And still not a word from Duterte.
He is too busy talking about more important things.
Albayalde said no one will admit to a serious crime such as murder.
“Walang a-admit sa isang krimen (No one will admit to a crime) especially with this kind of seriousness. This is serious offense. Remember murder is without bail, double murder at that and six counts of frustrated murder,” Albayalde said during a press conference in Camarines Sur.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año echoed Albayalde, saying the evidence was strong against the mayor and that “denial” is not a “ground for good defense.”
“Napaka-strong ng evidence against the mayor nakikita naman ninyo ang mayor yung kanyang denial is not a ground for good defense so korte na bahala diyan but the evidence is very strong,” Año said during the press briefing.
(The evidence is strong against the mayor. His denial is not a ground for good defense so the court will take care of that, but the evidence is very strong.)
If the evidence is so strong then why has the man not been arrested? Why is he still walking free?
Viernes is facing a charge of homicide due to reckless imprudence.
There must be more to this accident then is being reported. Was he speeding?
A 31-year-old village councilor was arrested on Friday night (Jan. 4) for allegedly masterminding the murder of a colleague at the public cemetery earlier that day.
Jervie Bondoc, councilman of Barangay (village) Dimasalang Sur reportedly gave the whereabouts of fellow councilor Ramoncito Magtalapa, 55, to a contract killer.
Magtalapa was shot at the back of his head during a funeral at 10:12 a.m., said Supt. Alexie Desamito, Talavera police chief. He was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital, she said.
Desamito said Bondoc allegedly had an ax to grind against the victim, believing that Magtalapa was behind the August 2018 murder of Bondoc’s father, who was re-elected for a second term as councilman.
“Initially we considered the attack as political. But as we went deeper, we realized it was an act of revenge,” Desamito said.
It seems to be both a political and a revenge killing. The cycle of violence continues.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a village councilman here and injured his wife in an early evening shooting on Saturday, police said Sunday.
Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, police regional director for Region 12, identified the slain official as Dima Macaludos, 45, a village council member of Barangay Lumakil, Polomolok, South Cotabato.
Another assassinated local politician.
Philippine National Police (PNP) intelligence operatives have been visiting schools nationwide, asking for “an inventory” of members or allies of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT),” officials of the 180,000-member association told ABS-CBN News.
“Some areas, like Manila and Zambales, even have memo from the division offices of the Department of Education,” Basilio said.
“In other cities, there is no memo, but requests come in via SMS or messages to mobile phones of via Facebook messenger and some orders are verbal.”
At least three schools in Manila’s third district received visits from police intelligence officers, Manila Public School Teachers Association president Solita Diaz also confirmed in an interview.
"They were polite, said they were only following instructions," Resaba said. "But they only flashed some memo on a mobile phone, that I could not read."
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, in a phone interview with ABS-CBN News, denied ordering the school visits.
“Walang order, hindi ko alam iyan,” Eleazar said. (I have not issued any order. I do not know anything about that.)
Manila police district head, Supt. Vicenta Dupa Danao, Jr., also said he had never issued an order, nor had seen the Layug document.
When shown the document, Danao said it was his first sight of it. He did not, however, question the authenticity of the document.
ABS-CBN News also called the NCRPO’s Intelligence Office for a response from its top officers, division head Senior Supr Glicerio Cansilao, and his deputy, Sr. Supt Bernard Yang.
A PO3 Leope Santos called back to ask for the document. ABS-CBN News read the contents to him. He has yet to return subsequent calls and text messages.
But Doble, the intelligence chief of the Zambales provincial police, confirmed the document passed on by ACT was genuine.
“We’re just following orders,” Doble said in a phone interview.
Asked what was the reason for the “inventory”, Doble replied: “You don’t ask why. It’s up to the region. We only pass the order to the stations.”
President Rodrigo Duterte, military officials and national police officials have been attacking legal militant organizations as “fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
In a bid to crush the communist rebellion the government is now going after front organisations one of which may be the ACT teacher's union. But instead of being open about it the PNP is being shady going around without a warrant, flashing memos on phone screens, and issuing denials about having given an order to compile such a list even when shown a document ordering the PNP to do so and then saying, "We're just following orders." Is it any wonder no one trusts this organisation?
“I will check on that. As far as I am concerned wala akong pinirmahan na ganyan (I have not signed anything like that),” he said in a press briefing.
Albayalde said he has yet to check which police official has issued the directive, although he admitted that not all memorandum of directorates of the PNP requires his signature “especially if it’s a routine function” of the unit.
“The different directorates of the PNP, they can always give out memorandum lalo na (especially) if it falls under their functional jurisdiction,” he said.
He also rejected the term “profiling” as claimed in media reports and said that the PNP normally conducts monitoring of members of other organizations.
“Sabi nga natin, this is not profiling. It has been part of our intelligence monitoring lang naman (Like what we said, this is not profiling. It has just been part of our intelligence monitoring),” he said.
Albayalde said the PNP acknowledges the feeling that “profiling” from the police may trigger to someone, but said teachers associated with ACT should not fear if they have not done anything illegal.
“Remember if you are a member, kung talagang sila ay proud doon sa pagiging member ng ACT, anong ikakatakot mo naman kung wala ka naman ginagawang masama?” he said.
(Remember if you are a member, if they are really proud of being a member of ACT, what will they be afraid of if they have not done anything wrong?)
The PNP Chief claims he did not issue a directive to compile a list of ACT members but then he claims what sh happening is part of their intelligence efforts and that if they aren't doing anything illegal then the members of ACT should have nothing to fear as the PNP collects information on them. Once again the PNP shows that the government does not understand the concept of freedom of privacy and association.
“The PNP should instead conduct profiling and surveillance on dishonorably discharged PNP and AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) personnel to keep track of their post discharge activities including their lifestyle,” Lacson in a text message when asked to comment on the issue.
“In that way, they may be able to solve a lot of crimes, even preempt them,” he added.
In a press conference on Monday, PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde denied ordering the surveillance of ACT members but said the PNP usually normally conducts monitoring of other organizations.
“Sabi nga natin, this is not profiling. It has been part of our intelligence monitoring lang naman (Like what we said, this is not profiling. It has just been part of our intelligence monitoring),” Albayalde said.
The PNP chief nevertheless sacked three police intelligence officers not because of profiling the ACT members but for their “scary” method of intelligence gathering.
Senator Lacson, in one fell swoop, accuses dismissed AFP and PNP personnel of being criminals! Many do resort to drugs and other crimes. The PNP Chief once again admits they were profiling the ACT union but calls it intelligence gathering and we learn that those he fired were fired for their methods and not for the substance of what they were doing.
This is so as not to violate election rules.
“(It) should not be exhibited or played in theaters at all during the campaign period,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez said in an interview.
“If showing, whether or not there’s a boycott, there will still be a violation of election rules,” he added.
Based on Republic Act No. 9006 or the “Fair Elections Act”, no movie, cinematography or documentary portraying the life or biography of a candidate shall be publicly exhibited in a theater, television station, or any public forum during the campaign period.
Violation of the prohibition shall be considered as an election offense, which carries the penalty of one to six years imprisonment, disqualification to hold public office, and removal of their right of suffrage.
The “Bato: The Gen. Ronald dela Rosa Story” is expected to be shown in cinemas this year.
So let me get this straight. The Comelec is not willing or able to punish those who campaign early but showing this movie would be a major offence resulting in a loss of the right to vote as well as imprisonment and the loss of the right to hold office? These rules are insane.
Nava recently became controversial when she publicly claimed that a signature campaign against the Panay Electric Company, the city’s power distributor, was forged.
Two bodyguards of an Iloilo City councilor were arrested at the Iloilo City Hall on Monday for the killing of the councilor’s estranged first cousin who had accused him of orchestrating a fake signature campaign against the city’s electric distributor.
Mercedes had accused her cousin, the councilor, of being among those behind the gathering of fake signatures against Panay Electric Co. (Peco).
The councilor, chair of the council’s committee on public utilities, was among the critics of Peco opposed to the renewal of its distribution franchise, which would expire on Jan. 19.
This is a potentially huge story with all the hallmarks of Philippine politics: corruption, family infighting, conspiracy, and murder. Someone wants PECO out so they can put their own company in and profit from raising electricity costs. Now a lady who was exposing this corruption of which her cousin was the alleged mastermind is dead. But no one cares. There is no P50 million reward and the lady is a nobody. Just another story to bury along with her body.
Corpus, quoting Judavar, said Baldo had planned to hire the same six-man hit squad that killed Batocabe for the hit on Jaucian.
The plot was not executed because Jaucian died of cancer, Corpus said.
“We are not closing this investigation,” Albayalde said. “This case is solved but we do not consider it closed,” said the PNP chief.
No arrest of the alleged mastermind, no trial, no conviction, and yet the PNP Chief declares the case solved but he's not going to close the case even though a solved case is a closed case! Can the PNP be more arrogant and stupid? Now go and solve the hundreds of other motorcycle slayings.
Another cop gunned down for no apparent reason. Will the PNP put all their manpower into solving the slaying of one of their own? Will there be a TV presentation with flowcharts and allegations?
First Duterte said just a whiff of corruption and you are out and indeed he has fired many officials based only on accusations with on actual charges ever following. Now that some of his trusted men are being investigated they are still in until something substantial shows up. The whiff off corruption standard is just another lie.
“Ah, putanginang COA yan, letse. Yung COA, every time, may mali talaga. Ano ba itong COA na ito? Mag kidnap tayo ng taga COA, lagay natin dito, torture natin dito. Tangina,” Duterte said in a speech during the Barangay Summit on Peace and Order in Pasay City.
[Damn that COA. Every time, it has something wrong with it. What’s with this COA? Let’s just kidnap COA [officials], put them here, and torture them. Son of a bitch.]
“Puro yan pahirapan. Yan ang ayaw ko — ang pahirapan,” he added.
[All it does is make things difficult. That’s what I don’t want — making things difficult.]
The irony is he said this during a speech at a summit on peace and order! Wakka-wakka-wakka!
In a 6-page order dated December 18, 2018 but released to the media only on Monday, Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 Judge Elmo Alameda stood by his September 25, 2018 ruling.
“Sen. Trillanes was not able to prove through testimonial and documentary evidence that he filed his application for amnesty nor expressly admitted his guilt in the application form for the crime he committed during the Manila Peninsula incident which are the minimum requirements set forth under Proclamation No. 75,” he said.
Alameda’s ruling is in stark contrast to the ruling of Judge Andres Soriano of Makati City RTC Branch 148 who ruled that Trillanes applied for amnesty and admitted his guilt, hence, there was no basis to arrest him.
Soriano said that the absence of the original application form does not mean that no application was filed.
Instead, Soriano said it was the prosecution who failed to sufficiently establish that Trillanes did not apply for amnesty.
He added that the loss of the document was not Trillanes’ fault but those of the public officers who should have custody over the document.
Two courts giving different rulings on what amounts to the same case. So when the Palace rejoices over this ruling and says things like:
“It should dawn on the departing Senator and to others who are prone to challenge the majesty of the law that it is no respecter of anyone regardless of the political and social status of the violator.”
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/08/19/palace-rejoices-as-court-denies-trillanes-amnesty-appeal
just remember this "law" is fluid and amenable to whichever court is doing the interpreting.
After six months of operation, the Manila Police District (MPD) “honesty store” closed shop over the weekend, citing financial losses attributed to dishonest buyers.
Tan said they are losing an average of P500 to P1,000 a month or a total of more than P20,000, including the more than P15,000 they lost to a thief since they started operating last June.
“We wanted to replenish the store but it was an exercise in futility considering that it was not really doing any good,” she said.
Tan said they have footage from the lobby’s closed-circuit television showing “nameless people who just get money from the box as if it is their personal ATM machine.”
The store is just a meter away from the guard at the lobby but that did not stop the thieves.
She said some “buyers” did not pay the correct amount of what they purchased, while others were getting more than the change due them.
The store sells food, beverages, noodles and other items and is left unattended.
“We would like to open the eyes of the (police officers) that if they can be honest in small things they can also be trustworthy in bigger things,” Anduyan said during the launch.
He said the store’s target customers are the police officers on duty, visitors and other guests who frequent the headquarters.
A store targeting the PNP selling food items based on paying honest prices and not stealing closes down due to theft and dishonesty proving that MPD is full of dishonest crooks. Big shock!
In what has become an international financial market habit early in the new year, the Philippine government on Wednesday successfully borrowed $1.5 billion from foreign creditors by issuing a new batch of bonds which will mature in 10 years, the Department of Finance said.
What a wacky tradition!
“BJMP has always been at the forefront in providing humane treatment to persons deprived of liberty and what is valuable for this agency is that BJMP keeps on finding reformative approaches to transform them,” Año said.
Año has recognized the BJMP for living up to great odds “as it has faced the challenges of the previous year with a number of success stories.”
“Worth noting is the decongestion efforts which has significantly recorded a decrease on the national congestion rate of more than 120 percent from its previous record of 612 percent on December 2017 to 488 percent on November 2018,’’ he added.
BJMP spokesman, Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, said a notable measure undertaken by the BJMP to address the problem of congestion is “to prioritize the infrastructure projects’’ under its fold.
He noted that 188 jail facilities are set for expansion this year while an additional 60 jail buildings and 13 additional perimeter fences are being expedited to decongest the BJMP-manned jails nationwide.
Año also encouraged the agency to focus not only on the improvement of physical structures but more on capability-building and delivery of efficient services in order to provide quality jail management service for persons deprived of liberty (PDL).
Few of these inmates have been convicted — most are pretrial detainees — but many will spend months or even years in the jail because the court system is so jammed.
The overcrowding has gone on for so long, and the detainees outnumber the guards by so many, that a tacit agreement between officials and jailhouse gangs has become the rule.
The gangs are technically illegal, but they help keep things from melting down into chaos and often help stretch scarce jail resources to keep inmates fed, officials and inmates said.
“There’s an equilibrium of peace and order here,” said Capt. Jayrex Bustinera, the spokesman and chief of records for the jail. “Formally, we don’t allow inmates to police other inmates. Informally, we do because of a lack of resources.”
One inmate, Buboy Mendiola, 37, heads up the Sigue Sigue Sputnik gang, and also oversees an informal prison economy, where earnings are pooled to fund the needs of his group — one of the five main gangs that functionally govern the jail from within.
In a recent raid, jail administrators found that the Sputnik gang’s treasury held 720,000 pesos, or about $13,700. Mr. Mendiola bought pigs and hundreds of chickens for the Sputniks’ Christmas feast last month.
And he keeps a fund for medical emergencies and basic needs for the dorm, like soap and toothpaste, he said.
Two stories about jails in the Philippines. The New York Times article is focused on the Manila City Jail while Año is referring to the jail and prison system over all. Which one paints the more realistic picture? Which one is true? Are they both true? In order to clean up the jails one will have to clean up and decongest the courts.
Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) identified the relieved officials as Chief Inspector Jomar Medel, Inspector Clifton Gairanod, and Inspector Mark Eric Pabong.
The three allegedly left their posts after the Sempo and went home without reporting back to their base in Giuhulngan City.
Medel was the chief of the Cebu Tourist Police while Gairanod and Pabong were assigned in the Regional Mobile Force.
The chief of the Tourist Police abandoned his post. Quick have the DOT issue a statement that the government values the lives of tourists and the tourists are safe and secure in Cebu despite this incident.
Jimenez said the commission had received complaints accusing Bello of extorting money from manpower agencies sending workers abroad.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a tight case. We’re just waiting for the opportunity to hear his side,” he said in a TV interview.
Jimenez said Bello was aware of the allegation against him as early as last year, when one of his former undersecretaries was embroiled in a P6.8-million extortion case involving Azizzah Manpower Services.
(“I don’t see any reason behind these accusations except someone might be interested in my position.”)
Same old story. A government official is accused of corruption and claims its all lies and a hit job to get his position.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to issue an administrative circular that would prohibit policemen from drinking in public places.
“Si Presidente na mismo ang nagsabi na bawal na uminom ang mga police sa mga bar, pub at mga kalsada. Kasuhan ninyo agad ang sinumang lalabag dito,” Año said in a statement.
(It was the President himself who said that the police should not be seen drinking in bars, pubs, and on the streets. File a case immediately against cops violating the directive.)
Año’s statement was issued after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered law enforcers to refrain from drinking in public places as drunk law enforcers tend to be involved in trouble.
“Kayong mga pulis (policemen), I’m warning you, do not drink in public. Sa Davao pinagbawalan ko ‘yan (I banned that in Davao), ngayon (now) all over the Philippines. Do not enter into drinking places,” Duterte said in a speech on Tuesday.
Año added that police officers seen drinking in public paces may “face administrative charges such as dereliction of duty, insubordination and gross neglect of duty.”
“We cannot have armed policemen walking around in public reeking of alcohol and not in their best state of mind as it implies lack of discipline among our uniformed personnel. Respetuhin ninyo ang tsapa at uniporme ninyo (Respect your uniform),” he said.
Is this necessary? Is it not a violation already to be drunk on duty or to drink while on duty or in uniform? Apparently it was not if a memo is required. But what about PNP stations? I have been to one before and in the kitchen I saw a bottle of Tanduay rum and a bottle of brandy. Will they ban alcohol from PNP stations too?
“Sinadya ko ‘yan para pang-bastos … kasi kampanya pa lang binabastos na nila ako,” (I am deliberately being rude because they have been rude to me even during the campaign period) Duterte said in a speech in Dimasalang town in Masbate.
However, after saying he was trying to push the “limits of civility,” he added, “I hope I have not offended anybody by my strong words or my jokes,”
Duterte admits he is being deliberately rude and then says he hopes he has not offended anyone. Joke again?
“Ang mga human rights wala akong narinig ni isa. That’s the problem,” (I never heard anything from human rights (groups),” he said.
“Ang human rights ninyo is ‘yung kalaban ang gobyerno. Gusto ninyo sirain talaga ang gobyerno,” (For you, human rights is ‘the government is the enemy.’ You want to destroy the government) he said.
“Isali ninyo ‘yung mga inosenteng pinatay ng mga criminal. Mas marami ‘yan,” (Show concern also for innocent people murdered by criminals) he said.
Duterte, a lawyer, does not understand what Human Rights Groups do which is monitor governments. They are not police agencies. But he has publicly declared his disdain for human rights on multiple occasions.
Former Makati City Mayor Elenita Binay has challenged in the Supreme Court the Sandiganbayan’s admission of several key pieces of evidence against her in connection with the case regarding the allegedly anomalous purchase of P45 million worth of beds, cabinets and sterilizers for the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak).
This lady is only challenging the authenticity of the documents used against her and not the actual contents of the documents or any other evidence. She is admitting guilt but wants to get off with a technicality. This all happened in 2000 and 2001 which means it has been almost 20 years just to get to this point.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started its investigation on an official of the Manila Police District (MPD) for allegedly hitting three police officers with a wooden block for supposedly not following his orders during Traslacion on Wednesday.
Albayalde said PNP would also investigate the three police officers.
Will the PNP also be investigating the case of the dishonest cops who ransacked the honesty store? Or does that hit to close to home? Oh I know! Someone has to file a case before they get off their butts.
Nilo Gavia, district engineer of the DPWH in Laguna, said on Thursday that the lack of scaffolds and support system caused the structure to give in when the workers poured cement on Wednesday.
“There was insufficient scaffold and support that was why it collapsed,” Gavia said in a phone interview.
“It’s not our fault but of the contractor,” he added.
Gavia said the DPWH has asked the company to make the necessary repairs “without additional costs to the government.”
He said the project should have been completed in November but was delayed due to bad weather and lack of construction materials.
Two months behind, lack of materials, and now a terrible accident that will only setback the project further. I would not be surprised if some local official or even someone from the DPWH skimmed off the top and/or did not even bother to fully vet the contractor before he was awarded the job. This situation deserves a thorough investigation.
A municipal councilor in San Fernando town, south Cebu was shot dead inside his sari-sari store in Barangay Poblacion around 3 p.m. Thursday.
The police identified the victim as Rene Boy Dacalos.
Awful. But all too common.
How does one even criminalise addiction? What does that law look like? R.A. 9165 does not criminalise addiction but recommends treatment. Use and possession are very different from addiction. One can be in possession of drugs or use them without being an addict. How do you measure addiction or prove it? It's nonsense.
“Kaya pagdating ko sabi ko, ‘Hoy, kayong mga tambay diyan, ‘pag dumaan ‘yang obispo ninyo holdapan ‘yan maraming pera ‘yan p***** i** niya. Patayin mo,” Duterte said in a speech during the birth anniversary celebration of Gov. Antonio Kho in Masbate, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
(To bystanders, if your bishop passes by, rob them, they have lots of money, Kill them.)
In a speech during the groundbreaking of a school in Bulacan, Duterte said: “‘Yang 5-6 ang gusto kong patayin na sistema. Kung hindi ko mapatay ang sistema, ‘yung nagdadala na lang ng 5-6 ang ating patayin.”
It's always kill, kill, kill with Duterte.
Here's a bizarre story involving a Duterte assistant.
A video showing Diño alighting from a helicopter in the middle of the Philsports Arena or Ultra Stadium in Pasig City during an ongoing Department of Education event went viral online on Tuesday. He was criticized because in the Facebook video posted by Newsph.org, it seemed like he disturbed the athletic event of DepEd to take a restroom break.
Diño's spokesperson clarified the official appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte was informed they were picking someone up in Ultra, so he alighted the chopper to go to the restroom.
"He had no way of knowing that there was any ongoing event in Ultra. He was just told that the chopper will pick up other passengers. While waiting for the others to board the chopper, he took his only chance to go to the restroom before their onward destination," OPAV spokesperson Jonji Gonzales told CNN Philippines.
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino landed his chopper at the Ultra Philippine Sports Complex without the permission of its authorities, Rappler learned.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez said he was told by PhilSports Arena staff that no such clearance was issued to Dino’s staff.
The PSC, an agency under the Office of the President, owns the Ultra sports complex. The sports complex's administrator, Queenie Evangelista, answers to the PSC.
“I was informed by PhilSports personnel that there was no clearance re landing that day,” Ramirez told Rappler in a message on Thursday, January 10.
Dino making an unauthorized landing flouts the sports complex’s protocols as well as protocols for landing choppers in general.
“Any public or private officials who seek landing must clear from the PhilSports Administrator who is under the leadership of the Philippine Sports Commission,” said Ramirez, also a Duterte appointee.
This guy's chopper made an unauthorised landing at a sports arena while athletes were competing allegedly to pick up someone but he made a bee-line for the bathroom as soon as they touched down and no word of who this passenger is they picked up. What it sounds like is this guy had a full bladder that needed emptying and he directed the chopper to land in the arena. Pretty strange and hopefully more light will be shed on this incident.
Accordingly, Abrugena himself caught the five policemen in the act of taking pictures of themselves in “happy faces” along with two drug personalities identified as Armando Unabia, 54, and Gerald Geraldizo, 42, who were arrested during the police operation.
To recall, Central Visayas’ Police Regional Office (PRO-7) Director, Chief Supt. Debold Sinas ordered the relief of all the policemen assigned in Talisay City in September 2018, following reports that some of them were protecting drug personalities.
Were they going to upload these selfies to Facebook? They definitely would have been caught then.
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