It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.
Former Cebu City Assistant City Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro was driving a yellow Nissan Juke along Escario Street around 9:50 p.m. when one of the gunmen reportedly shot her.
The police have yet to determine the motive of the killing, but Castro had been reportedly embroiled in several controversies when she was assigned in Cebu City.
Last year, she was suspended by the Department of Justice for a conflict with the family of the late Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez. The Supreme Court also suspended Castro for six months in 2015 for allegedly wielding “excessive influence” after she asked the police to help her brother who complained about a defective vehicle he bought in 2001.
A six-month suspension was also imposed on Castro in 2016 for violating the rule on non-forum shopping when she filed separate petitions for annulment of marriage in two trial courts in Cebu in 2000.
As evil as this assassination is it seems as if Mrs. Castro was involved in a lot of dirty business. Likely she made enemies and they caught up to her. That is how it goes in the Philippines. Who knows but Vice Gov. Sanchez has a hand in her death. Looks like the gun ban is working quite well.
A former mayor of Pampanga and a private contractor have been asked to return P92.5 million spent for alleged non-existent projects.
In a notice of disallowance, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the payments made by the Mabalacat municipal government to A.L. Construction for slope protection works along Sapang Balen and Quitangil creeks in 2016, when Marino Morales was mayor, violated procurement rules.
The COA said the projects were duplications of what the third engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways were doing at the time.
The audit agency also cited the ineligibility of the lone bidder who won the contract for not complying with the requirements, such as the complete set of approved plans, technical specifications, bill of quantities and the bids and awards resolution recommending the award of the project.
It also cited irregularities in the bidding process.
P92.5 million for non-existent projects awarded to a single bidder. Instead of asking for the money to be returned the COA ought to file charges of graft against this man and everyone else involved. Put him in jail.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has ordered the dismantling of a billboard of Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos along General Maxilom Avenue in Barangay Carreta, saying the senatorial candidate was politicizing the Sinulog Festival.
The huge outdoor ad, as shown in a photo posted on Facebook by Osmeña, had Marcos’ name and face with the words “Sinulog Festival” and “Viva, Pit Senyor.”
“Trust me when I tell you I am doing you a favor by taking this tarpaulin down,” Osmeña wrote.
“The Cebuanos do not appreciate the politicization of the Sinulog. This won’t be earning you any votes and is doing you more harm than good,” he added.
In an earlier post, Osmeña pointed out that the Sinulog Festival is a religious event and not “a venue to campaign.”
“National candidates like anyone else are welcome to join in the celebration, but they will not be speaking nor will they be grandstanding on stage,” he wrote.
“The only star of the Sinulog is the Sto. Niño,” he also said.
Just because an old wooden carving of the Child Jesus is paraded around town does not make Sinulog a religious event. It is also a huge dance party. There will be all night parties with blaring loud music and a major dance contest. Religious? Hardly!
Police counter-intelligence task force (CITF) operatives on Thursday arrested a policeman in Mangaldan town in Pangasinan for allegedly driving a van, which had long been reported as stolen by its owner.
SPO3 Jonathan Sanchez, who is assigned at the Mangaldan police station, did not resist when CITF agents nabbed him at Barangay (village) Navaluan in Mangaldan at about 10:25 a.m.
Police said the CITF operation stemmed from a complaint of Rosa Pamor of Caloocan City that her van, which she had rented out to an individual on September 8 last year, was not returned.
On December 18, Pamor received a report that her van was at the custody of the Mangaldan police station. But when she verified, she was told that it was not with the police station’s custody.
Investigators found out that on September 28 last year, Mangaldan policemen arrested several suspected thieves and seized their van but the arresting policemen did not declare the seized vehicle in their report.
Police said that since then Sanchez has been using the van for his personal use and for police operations.
Women rents out van which is not returned and ends up in the hands of thieves apprehended by the PNP. The arresting officer does not declare the seized van and instead begins using it for police operations and his own personal use! Finally the lady catches up with her van and the officer's scheme is found out! Hilarious! Isolated case too. PNP officers aren't thieves.
“The officials who were either removed or resigned from their posts and appointed to other positions were not tainted with corruption during their stint in their offices,” Panelo said in a statement.
“It just happened that their expertise and talents were not suited to their previous positions; hence, their re-appointment to their present offices that will showcase their competence,” he added.
My goodness this is just too stupid to comment on. I hope you have been paying attention to the news if not this blog. Lapeña, Faeldon, do those names ring a bell? Duterte has reassigned several men who have been tainted with more than a whiff of corruption.
The police do not only provide security for the Sinulog grand parade, they can also dance to the beat.
The team Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) opened the Sinulog grand parade with their Philippine National Police (PNP) float and over 20 police neophytes and trainees dancing to the traditional Sinulog beat as a guest contingents.
Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, director of the PRO-7, said he was grateful to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. for allowing the police to join as guests as this was the first time the police requested to be part of the Sinulog grand parade.
“Lipay kaayo ko sa ila performance. Napakita gyud namo nga ang mga pulis dili lang mobantay sa Sinulog, ganahan pud mi moapil. Daghang pulis nga deboto,” said Sinas.
The PNP float showcased a giant police cap which, according to Senior Superintendent Dennis Agustin, the Deputy Director of Administration and designer of the float, represented the authority and responsibility of the police.
Rising from the float is a giant badge, copied from the actual badge of Sinas as the PRO-7 director, and the image of Lapu-lapu whom Agustin considered as the epitome of bravery of Filipinos.
Sinas hoped that with the police opening the grand parade, the people of Cebu felt safer and saw that the police who are bearing the responsibility of keeping everyone safe, are also men with faith.
Nothing to see here. Just part of the PNP's propaganda campaign to make themselves appear good when in fact they are still throughly corrupt.
A former traffic enforcer was killed in an attack by motorcycle-riding men in this city on Friday afternoon.
Jenny Agustin, 38, died from five gunshot wounds in the body.
Probers are eyeing personal grudge as the motive for the killing.
Police said Agustin was a subject of numerous complaints filed by city residents.
“The complainants alleged the victim collected money from them supposedly as investment in a business,” Bajo said.
Appears he was running a scam and it finally caught up to him. That's justice in the Philippines.
Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Eastern Samar have filed a complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman against acting Gov. Marcelo Ferdinand Picardal and Vice Gov. Jonas Abuda for allegedly falsifying the P1.28-billion budget ordinance for 2018.
In a nine-page complaint on Dec. 8, 2018, and made public over the weekend, the provincial board members accused Picardal and Abuda of the crime of falsification and the administrative offenses of dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
They claimed Picardal, Abuda (who acts as the presiding officer) and Robedizo issued Appropriation Ordinance No. 18-30, series of 2018, without it being signed by the provincial board members in accordance with established procedure.
So they are accused of faking the budget? How does one even do that? Only in the Philippines!
In its 2017 Report on the Audit of the DRRM Fund, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the liquidation of P1.49 billion in emergency shelter assistance for victims of Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-ten) in 2016 was “very poor” as of end-2017.
This indicated “too much delay” in the cash distribution.
The COA also questioned the unreliable recording of inventory items totaling P301.29 million due to lack of appropriate documentation and unreconciled discrepancies.
The Northern Mindanao field office accounted for bulk of this amount. A total of P201.74 million in welfare goods was not supported with supplies ledger cards, stock cards and physical count reports.
The general ledger also showed the goods were not distributed for the year of 2017.
Some P37.93 million worth of welfare goods was not supported by appropriate transfer documents and not acknowledged as received by the concerned agencies.
Funds not distributed, supplies not documented. What a mess. What a typical mess.
Foreign affairs officials on Monday assured the National Privacy Commission (NPC) that no passport data breach had taken place in the department, contrary to the claim made by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on his Twitter post on Jan. 9.
The personal data of all passport applicants remain under the control of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said Assistant Foreign Secretary Medardo Macaraig and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Neil Ferrer.
“The department remains in custody and control of passport data and that this has not been shared with or accessed by any unauthorized party,” they added.
It's official. DFA Secretary Teddy Locsin is a liar who caused an unnecessary panic by tweeting erroneous information about passport data being stolen. Will he be held accountable? Don't count on it!
Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe, was arrested on Tuesday for illegal possession of firearms, a nonbailable offense.
A team of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) officers led by Senior Supt. Arnold Ardiente served on Baldo a search warrant signed by Executive Judge Elmer Lanuzo of the Legazpi City Regional Trial Court for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition around 2:30 p.m.
Police recovered two .45-caliber pistol, one M203 grenade, eight .45-cal. bullets, one 5.56-millimeter bullet and one magazine for an Uzi machine pistol in Baldo’s house at Barangay Tagas here, said Chief Insp. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson for the Bicol police.
The search was witnessed by Baldo’s wife, daughter and mother, as well as by Warren Bahillo, village chief of Tagas.
On Friday, Baldo said at a press conference that a local court in Albay had issued a warrant against him to allow investigators to search his house for additional evidence in the murder of Batocabe.
Baldo said he was not bothered by the warrant but was worried about “planted evidence.”
“What scares me are the possibilities of planted evidence like a grenade and high-powered firearms,” he said.
Wow they finally arrested this guy! But not on charges of murder! If he is the mastermind then why don't they file a murder case and charge him with murder? Are those weapons even his? This case is being handled in a very shady manner. Despite this the PNP Chief is pointing to this case as a model of efficiency and is demanding that PNP officers solve the ambush of the San Fernando mayor within two weeks. Or else!
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde ordered officials of the Cebu Provincial Police Office and the chief of police of Talisay City to solve the ambush on San Fernando town mayor Lakambini Reluya within two weeks or they will be sacked.
“They will be relieved automatically. Sinabi ko sa kanila iyon (I told them that),” Albayalde told reporters on Wednesday.
Albayalde dismissed fears that his warning will lead to a poor investigation, citing the swift probe on the killing of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police escort SPO2 Orlando Diaz in Daraga, Albay.
“Remember ‘yung [case ni Rep.] Batocabe tinira nga natin in less than two weeks. Kung tatrabahuhin mo talaga kaya naman. Kung tututukan mo ‘yung isang bagay at kung gagamitin mo ‘yung fertile imagination [mo], pwede,” he said.
(Remember that the case of Rep. Batocabe was solved in less than two weeks. If you will really work on it, you can do it. If you will really focus on something and if you will use your fertile imagination, it is possible.)
Using your imagination might be key here. Who knows what they will come up with? Imagine if he gave such an order every single time a politician was murdered by motorcycle assassins. Why is he in such a big hurry on this case? Time is always of the essence in a murder case but threatening that the case must be solved in two weeks or else is no way to handle it. Does he know Peter Lim is still on the run?
Of the 297 members of the chamber, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano spent the largest amount for foreign travels (P864,000) followed by Rep. Sharon Garin (P722,500).
Where are these people going? Is it necessary that they travel overseas on the taxpayers dime to attend conferences or whatever they are doing? How much of this travel is for official government business?
Former Customs commissioner Isidro Lapeña now faces charges for graft and administrative offenses in connection with the alleged shabu smuggling using magnetic lifters discovered in Manila and Cavite last year.
The NBI said Lapeña, who exercised Customs powers at the time, should be charged for failing to prosecute the shippers or consignees of the magnetic lifters discovered at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite in August 2018.
"His deliberate intent to favor the violator was manifested by the fact that, in spite the violators were identified by Commissioner Lapeña, he did not prosecute or cause the prosecution of the violators," the NBI said.
The new complaint also accused more than 40 others — including former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, who is now under witness protection — of conspiracy to import illegal drugs, graft, and grave misconduct.
Serious charges are finally being brought against Lapeña in connection with the shabu smuggled into the country. Will this overpowering stench of corruption be enough for Duterte to fire him or force him to resign?
A deputy commander of a Makati City Police community precinct was arrested on Thursday by the Philippine National Police Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) for allegedly extorting money from “habal-habal” (motorcycle taxi) drivers in exchange for them not being issued traffic violation tickets.
Paghubasan, a deputy commander of the Makati City Police Community Precinct 9, allegedly demanded cash from Jao as “membership fee” in the organization of motorcycle drivers operating along the C5 Road in Palar Village in Taguig City.
The suspect allegedly warned Jao that he will not be allowed to pick up passengers and will be issued a traffic violation ticket if he refuses to pay the said amount.
Aside from the membership fee, Paghubasan, a resident of Taguig City, also allegedly collects P150 daily from 40 “habal-habal” drivers in the area, including Jao, for a total of P6,000 a day.
Paghubasan, 54, is just two years away from mandatory retirement from the police service.
A deputy commander in the PNP who is only two years away from retirement has thrown everything away because he decided to extort money from motorcyclists. Just another isolated incident of a bad egg tainting the image of the PNP.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has put the blame on a Philippine labor attaché for the US government's decision to remove Filipinos' eligibility to obtain H-2A and H-2B work visas for one year.
"One of our labor attaches questioned such visas so I guess we got what we asked for," Locsin said on Twitter, responding to an inquiry regarding his thoughts on the matter.
In another tweet, Locsin said, "Thank you to the labor attache who denounced work/study J1 visas as slavery. She started the halls rolling. Salamat on behalf of Filipinos who won’t be allowed into the US anymore. Good work."
He did not identify the official.
The implication of these statements is that Locsin is not at all concerned about Filipinos who are being trafficked to the USA or who break the law and overstay their visas.
The high court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), said it had completed the revision of ballots from 5,417 clustered precincts for the pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental, under the vote recount sought by losing vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
After the revision, the next stage in the electoral protest case would be the appreciation of ballots where the PET would rule on all objections and claims made by the parties during the revision.
The ballot revision and appreciation were part of the initial determination of the grounds of the protest, the PET explained.
After the revision and appreciation, the tribunal will determine if Marcos’ protest had valid grounds to challenge the victory of Vice President Leni Robredo, and decide whether to dismiss the case or proceed with the vote recount in other contested provinces.
Finally an update in the VP recount. Looks like they are stalling for the moment. Why would they have to determine if Marcos' had valid grounds to protest the vote? Doesn't the recount attest to the validity of his protest? Maybe the recount will be finished by 2020.
About De Lima's Trial.
ReplyDeleteNext phrase:
Validity, Authenticity, Presentation of ACTUAL Evidences.
Not to mention, a very able lawyer that sticks to the law & fair trial, and not kissing Duterte / Marcos ass.