It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/16/coa-flags-gapan-city-in-nueva-ecija-for-not-registering-insuring-its-vehicles-motorized-equipment |
Only three out of the 54 vehicles and motorized equipment owned by Gapan City in Nueva Ecija are registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
Also, COA said that on top of non-registration, most of the vehicles and motorized equipment were not insured with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
In its audit report, COA said that the registration of 41 units was not renewed while 10 units have no records of registration at all.
It said the non-registration of the vehicles and motorized equipment might result in possible loss or misuse of assets. Also, the city government would be exposed to possible penalties, fines, or sanctions from the LTO.
The city's vehicles and motorized equipment are compose of three fire trucks, a compactor, a cargo truck, 13 dump trucks, two transit mixers, an excavator, a crawler robex, a wheeler loader, two road graders, a bus, and several vans and cars.
Also, COA said it found that Gapan City failed to renew the insurance of 50 motor vehicles with the General Insurance Fund (GIF) of the GSIS.
The non-insurance, it said, was inconsistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 656, the Property Insurance Law, as amended by Presidential Decree (PD) No. 245. Gapan City's failure to do so exposed the government to risk of non-indemnification for any damage or loss due to possible casualties that may happen on the insurable assets, COA said.
Out of the city's 54 vehicles, only four units have an updated insurance, 39 units were not renewed, while the remaining 11 units lack any record of insurance with the GSIS, it said.
During the audit, COA said that the city government reasoned that the non-registration with the LTO was due to the absence of emission testing, while one vehicle was procured recently, so the certificate of LTO registration has not been secured from the vendor.
The justification was not accepted by COA. It said: "The failure of the City to maintain its records and update the registration of its motor vehicles with the LTO indicates lack of proper management and control over the motor vehicles, which may result in the possible loss and misuse of the government assets."
Only three out of the 54 vehicles and motorized equipment owned by Gapan City in Nueva Ecija are registered with the Land Transportation Office in 2023, the Commission on Audit said.
The province of Northern Samar failed to remit a total of P58 million in taxes and mandatory contributions to agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2023 annual audit report, COA said: "Taxes and mandatory contributions of officers and employees of the province, booked up under Due to BIR, GSIS, Pag-IBIG and Philhealth accounts, were not remitted ... thus preventing the national government to utilize earned revenues to finance its priority programs, and may deprive the officials and employees of the province of the full coverage of the services and benefits that could be derived from membership in good standing."
It said that the province's Inter-Agency Payables Year-End Balances showed that the balance due to BIR amounted to P46,919,967.58; due to GSIS was P3,842,646.97; due to Pag-IBIG was P2,521,261.79; and due to PhilHealth was P5,092,924.48. All in all, the total balance due was P58,376,700.82, it also said.
When the audit team members reviewed the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers of the accounts, they discovered deficiencies in the remittances of taxes and mandatory contributions, it noted.
From the amount due to the BIR, the province withheld P165,711,082.57, including P29,949,299.72 from prior years, it said. The province remitted a total of P118,791,114.99 in 2023, which left a year-end balance of P46,919,967.58, it also said.
The GSIS premium contributions and loans of P173,428,162.91, including from prior years of P14,000,180.88, were withheld from the salaries of the offices and employees of the province, COA said. However, the total remittance made in 2023 was P169,585,515.95, which left a year-end balance of P3,842,646.97, it said.
For Pag-IBIG contributions, or those belonging to the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), P13,574,957.44 were withheld from salaries of officials and employees, including P3,186,569.38 withheld from prior years. Since only P11,053,695.65 was remitted in 2023, there was a balance of P2,521,261.79 left, it also said.
The amount of PhilHealth contributions withheld totalled to P19,788,231.52, COA said. With remittances worth P14,695,407.04 made in 2023, there was a remaining balance of P5,092,824.48, it said.
"Ideally, the balance of Due to BIR, GSIS, HDMF, and PhilHealth accounts should be equivalent to zero after remitting the amount withheld within the prescribed period. However, the remittance of the amounts withheld were not strictly observed," the report stated.
By failing to properly remit the taxes and contributions, COA said that state auditors noted that the national government has been prevented from utilizing the earned revenues.
The province of Northern Samar failed to remit a total of P58 million in taxes and mandatory contributions to agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Government Service Insurance System, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth in 2023, the Commission on Audit said.
The Philippine National Police-Anti Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) arrested an ex-Army wanted for allegedly kidnapping a teenager and his driver in January.
In a report Saturday, the police group said Alexander Sayson Anobling was arrested in Pasay City on May 16 for the crime of kidnapping for ransom a 15-year-old boy and his driver in Cartimar last January 14.
Police said the victims were rescued on January 15 in Tarlac City.
Authorities said Anobling is a former member of the Philippine Army member, and that his arrest stemmed from a warrant issued by Judge Jehan Sampac Hassiman of Pasay City Regional Trial Court, Branch 11.
The PNP-AKG said Anobling is temporarily detained at their detention facility in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
A former solider has been arrested for kidnapping.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/05/19/2356260/ex-cop-2-others-caught-selling-stolen-motorcycles |
Three people, including a former police officer, were arrested for allegedly selling stolen motorcycles in Manila on Friday.
Former corporal Mark Joseph Patayan, Jhon Ace Ortiz and Jorje Timothy Guinto were apprehended in a sting at the corner of Domingo Santiago and G. Tuazon streets in Sampaloc at around 4:55 a.m., National Capital Region Police Office director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.
The operation was based on a complaint from a man who told probers that he bought a motorcycle from the suspects, unaware that vehicle was stolen.
Acting on the report, police conducted an entrapment operation wherein the complainant again bought a motorcycle in exchange for P117,000.
The suspects were arrested after receiving the marked money. Seized from them were three motorcycles, a 9mm handgun, identification cards and cell phones.
The suspects were charged with estafa while Patayan was slapped with charges of usurpation of authority, falsification of documents and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
An ex-cop has been arrested for selling stolen motorcycles.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/21/marbil-9-saf-officers-under-probe-after-2-commandos-caught-providing-security-to-pogo-official |
At least nine officers and personnel of the Special Action Force (SAF) are now being investigated for possible connivance after two police commandos were caught providing security services to a foreigner who was found to be an official of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).
The two SAF commandos were earlier arrested for causing trouble inside a village in Ayala, Alabang when they engaged in a fist fight. They were identified as Police Corporal George Rojo Mabuti and Patrolman Roger Ramos Valdez, both assigned in Mindanao.
Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), emphasized that providing security for outsiders of the police force is not in the job description of SAF, the elite force of the national police.
“They cannot provide security. The only unit of the PNP that can give you security is the PSPG (Police Security and Protection Group). Other units are prohibited from doing it, especially SAF,” said Marbil.
After the arrest of Mabuti and Valdez, it was found out that they were supposed to be in Mindanao for police duty.
Marbil explained that daily accounting of personnel is a protocol in the PNP and their presence in Metro Manila when they were supposed to be with their units in Mindanao means that there was connivance.
“It’s not possible that you will not be accounted for because we account for our personnel on a daily basis. So it is not impossible that they could do it on their own. So we will make sure that those who connive with them will suffer and they will get the consequences of their action,” said Marbil.
So far, at least nine people were already sacked and are subject of the investigation. They include the battalion commander of the SAF unit where the two commandos are assigned, at least two company commanders, the First Sergeant and other SAF personnel in the unit responsible for accounting of the personnel.
They are being investigated for grave irregularity in the performance of duty.
Mabuti and Valdez are now detained and were already slapped with appropriate criminal charges. A separate investigation for administrative cases is being conducted.
Two cops with the SAF have been arrested for fighting and have been found moonlighting as security for a POGO offical. Seven of their superiors have also been sacked for allowing them to moonlight as security.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/22/coa-flags-design-center-of-the-philippines-for-spending-p1-9-m-budget-for-senior-citizens-persons-with-disabilities-for-other-programs-in-2023 |
The Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), an agency under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), spent P1.9 million of the budget allocated for senior citizens and persons with disability (SCPDs) for other plans and programs in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2023 annual audit report, COA said that DCP spent P2,480,179.57 for SCPDs. However, it said that upon checking the programs and projects implemented, state auditors discovered that only P567,040.61 was directly spent for SCPDs while P1,913,138.96 went to other plans and programs.
It named three programs and activities that did not address the concerns of SCPDs, namely: the conduct of Technology Workshop for Sourcing, Bleaching, and Dyeing Fibers for Accelerate Sulu Program of the Center of Humanitarian Dialogue and Tumikang Sama-Sama, Inc.; the Pinyapel Investors Forum; and the Design Center 50 years and beyond program which highlighted product development and design in past 50 years.
It pointed out that while there were SCPD participants in the programs, it was found that the main goal of the undertakings did not address the needs and concerns of SCPDs.
"The primary objectives of these programs were to facilitate workshops and/or promote product development and design, aligning with the agency's mandates. It is merely coincidental that senior citizens and persons with disabilities were present during these programs," the report noted.
"It is imperative to emphasize that programs not directly related to or focused in addressing the concerns of SCPDs should not be included in the accomplishment report. Doing so would risk misrepresentation and inaccurate reporting," it said.
There were four other programs which cost the agency P567,040.61 and were explicitly designed to address the concerns of SCPDs. COA said these programs were information dissemination of disability prevention to raise awareness of individuals and families at risk of the effects of disability conditions, implementation of DTI-PRAISE that would recognize and award retiring employees, and orientation on retirement benefits with GSIS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth.
COA then recommended that the DCP should ensure that only SCPD-related programs and activities are incorporated in the SCPD accomplishment report in accordance with Section 36 of Republic Act No. 11936, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023.
It also asked DCP to prepare more realistic programs and activities for SCPDs to address fully the concerns of senior citizens and persons with disabilities in accordance with the provision of RA 11936.
The Design Center of the Philippines, an agency under the Department of Trade and Industry, spent P1.9 million of the budget allocated for senior citizens and persons with disability for other plans and programs in 2023, the Commission on Audit said.
A former council member in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur and a member of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was killed after the ceremonial turn-over of housing units for the former combatants in Em Manor Hotel, Rosary Heights 9 here.
Colonel Querubin Manalang Jr., the city police director, said Abdulrahman Kasid, a resident of Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Norte, was on his way to his car in the hotel parking lot when two gunmen from a grey Toyota Hilux approached and shot him several times using an Armalite rifle.
The victim sustained several gunshot wounds and was immediately brought to the hospital, where a physician declared him dead.
Police Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) recovered from the crime scene 10 empty shells of Armalite.
Kasid was one of the recipients of housing units that the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) in the Bangsamoro Region built in Barangay Pimbalakan, Mamasapano town.
He just attended a ceremonial turnover of the units and was on his way back to his vehicle when shot at close range.
During the program, Kasid had lauded BARMM for providing homes for former combatants.
Manalang said police probers were still trying to determine the motive and identities of the attackers.
A former councilor has been asassinated.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/23/barangay-captain-of-buli-in-muntinlupa-shot-killed-by-armed-men |
The chairman of Barangay Buli in Muntinlupa was shot and killed by unidentified men on May 22.
The Muntinlupa Police identified the victim as Barangay Chairman Ronaldo “Kaok” Loresca of Buli.
According to the police, the shooting happened at about 10:16 p.m. in front of Sole So Blessed Sneakers and Apparel at No. 195 Manuel L Quezon Street, Barangay Buli.
Based on the initial investigation by the police, Loresca and his companions were seated in front of the store when two male suspects on a motorcycle shot him without any apparent motive and fled towards Sucat.
One of the suspects was wearing a Joy Ride shirt while the other one was in a black t-shirt.
Loresca was taken by the barangay ambulance to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Alabang.
Mayor Ruffy Biazon condemned the killing of Loresca.
“I strongly condemn the senseless killing of my fellow public servant in Muntinlupa, Captain Ronaldo ‘Kaok’ Loresca of Barangay Buli,” the mayor posted on Facebook.
Biazon said he ordered the Muntinlupa Operations Center to review the CCTV footage and the Muntinlupa Police to immediately investigate the incident to identify the suspects.
The chairman of Barangay Buli in Muntinlupa was shot and killed by unidentified men on May 22.
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