It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Up to a year-long wait for vital funding has plagued graduate science scholars due to delays at the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), with state auditors finding P1.748 billion in scholarship funds still unreported.
According to the 2023 Commission on Audit (COA) report, financial assistance to scholars of the Accelerated Science and Technology Human Resource Development Program (ASTHRDP) was delayed by one to twelve months.
State auditors believe that the crux of the fund release delays lies in the lack of documented disbursements to scholars, pointing to the failure to establish a mechanism for effectively implementing the scholarship program.
“The SEI did not formulate policy and mechanism to ensure the efficient implementation of the ASTHRDP scholarship program, thereby the timely submission of reports by the member universities of the consortium was not observed, causing delay in the release of financial assistance to beneficiaries of the scholarship program,” COA said.
This scholarship program aims to produce highly skilled science and technology researchers to boost the country's global competitiveness and innovation in the field.
While COA acknowledged that the scholarship funds for the program's 1,884 scholars from 2021 to 2023 were largely utilized, it also flagged a strikingly low liquidation rate for transferred funds.
In 2021, the entire P1.728 billion allocation was utilized, and in 2022, 97.75% of the P1.390 billion allocation was spent. By 2023, the utilization rate dropped to 79.71% — or nearly four-fifths of the P1.306 billion allocation — though this was still deemed high.
However, COA found a significant discrepancy in 2023. Of the P642.109 million released funds to universities, responsible for disbursing funds to scholars, only 16.40% was liquidated.
Meanwhile, the liquidation rate for previous years was 44.41% of the P2.179 billion in transferred funds.
This leaves the scholarship program with P1.748 billion in transferred funds, considered unspent or not yet received by scholars.
This high utilization, coupled with low liquidation, indicates that a significant portion of the released funds lacked proper documentation, raising concerns about whether the funds reached the scholars' pockets.
COA clarified the key distinction: transferring funds to universities does not count as disbursement.
Citing National Budget Circular 590, auditors explained that disbursement occurs only when payment is made for rendered, inspected, and accepted goods or services.
However, to be eligible for these benefits, scholars must maintain full-time enrollment in their graduate program. They are also prohibited from being employed or practicing their profession.
The funds allocated for the DOST-SEI program are intended to support students in financial need, helping them pursue their education and contribute to the country’s development.
Due to COA's finding of low disbursement, the unexpended or undisbursed funds are expected to be returned to the National Treasury after a specified period.
The responsibility for disbursing and liquidating scholarship funds largely rests with member universities, as they are tasked with verifying student eligibility and ensuring compliance with the scholarship agreement.
COA pointed out that the issue stems from the lack of standardized guidelines for fund disbursement. Some universities release funds monthly, while others do so on a quarterly or semestral basis.
“Having no policy or guidelines on the frequency of the release of financial assistance to scholars affects the efficient implementation of the scholarship program,” state auditors said.
Due to the flexibility universities have in releasing financial assistance, scholars have reportedly been forced to take part-time jobs while pursuing postgraduate studies, which breaches their scholarship agreements.
“It is important to ensure the timely release of financial assistance to scholars to allow them to focus on their studies and comply with the terms of the scholarship agreement, as delays forced some scholars to seek part-time jobs/employment to sustain their daily needs,” COA said.
The report also noted complaints from scholars about the SEI or coordinators failing to inform them of issues related to their scholarship status and allowances, and, at times, not responding to email inquiries.
The SEI explained that they release funds to universities only upon receiving status or financial reports on the scholarship program. However, since some universities fail to submit these reports on time, the agency said it is forced to withhold funds, resulting in delayed payments.
A solution the agency came up with is to centralize fund distribution through Land Bank of the Philippines’ weAccess platform, directly releasing financial aid to scholars instead of transferring funds to universities.
It will also hold a "reorientation meeting" with staff involved in the graduate scholarship program to refresh and update the requirements for issuing scholarship funds, along with other relevant policies.
The agency agreed to comply with COA’s recommendations, which include formulating a policy and mechanism for the timely release of funds by universities and effective monitoring of report submissions.
The SEI also committed to centralizing fund distribution, regularly updating scholars on delays or concerns, and providing clear instructions on how scholars can seek help with scholarship issues.
Up to a year-long wait for vital funding has plagued graduate science scholars due to delays at the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), with state auditors finding P1.748 billion in scholarship funds still unreported.
An off-duty policeman allegedly shot and killed a security guard who intervened during a marital altercation inside a bus in Bansalan, Davao del Sur before dawn on Saturday, Dec. 28.
Police identified the victim as Reynaldo Bigno Jr. from Makilala, Cotabato.
Investigation said the suspect, Police Corporal Alfred Dawatan Sabas, assigned to the General Santos City Police Station 7, and his wife were riding a bus from Barangay Batasan, Makilala, Cotabato when they figured in an altercation at past 2 a.m.
Bigno stepped in to diffuse the situation but the suspect, who was allegedly drunk, was irked and shot the victim in the head. The victim died on the spot.
Sabas fled with his wife and the bus driver asked assistance from policemen manning a checkpoint in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.
The suspect fired at responding policemen – Police Corporals Kenth Maurith Ramos and Police Patrolman Russel Love Tapia – who sustained bullet wounds and taken to a hospital.
Sabas and his wife were apprehended in a pursuit operation. The couple faces appropriate cases.
The victim’s family, particularly his son, a graduating elementary pupil, expressed anger over his death in a radio interview.
According to them, the victim left money to buy gifts and food for media noche (New Year’s Eve repast) as he won’t be able to join them as he is on duty on Dec. 31.
Top police officers in Davao del Sur and the Police Regional Office-12 are monitoring the case.
An off-duty policeman allegedly shot and killed a security guard who intervened during a marital altercation inside a bus in Bansalan, Davao del Sur before dawn on Saturday, Dec. 28.
Three active cops and another on absent without official leave (AWOL) status were arrested for allegedly conspiring to rob an establishment in Bulacan on Saturday night.
Cpl. Jayson Medallada and Staff Sgt. Mark Raian Vicente, assigned at Caloocan City Police Station; Cpl. Jayson Medallada, assigned at Quezon City Police District; and Pat. Reiniel Basilio, who was previously assigned at Malabon City Police Station, were arrested at around 10:20 p.m. along El Camino Road, Barangay Perez in Meycauayan City, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Sunday.
An initial investigation revealed that the Meycauayan City Police Station received a telephone call from a concerned citizen regarding suspicious persons about to rob an establishment.
Police officers who responded to the scene found the suspects in possession of a .45 caliber pistol, four .9mm pistols, and some 23 grams of suspected shabu.
They also recovered PNP identification cards, nine mobile phones, three motorcycles, two Land Transportation Office motorcycle license plates, four motorcycle helmets, assorted items of clothing with three caps, and six bonnets.
The four officers were turned over to the Meycauayan police and will face administrative cases for violations on Republic Act Nos. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
Three active cops and another on absent without official leave status were arrested for allegedly conspiring to rob an establishment in Bulacan.
The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for ‘maintaining’ four unauthorized bank accounts, stressing that “their creation and retention’’ as of 2023 “have no legal basis.’’
However following the COA’s report, the DILG closed its four trust fund accounts at the Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) with an aggregate amount of over P12.98 million.
In a statement, the DILG explained the accounts were used as depository accounts for funds from other national government agencies, adding that “the accounts were created to ensure the prompt release of funds to support the implementation of various programs and projects.’’
Earlier, the DILG had closed the P1.73-million RO IX Trust Regular Account and the DILG-NCR Local Government Academy Special Project Account with P111,009.42.
Further, the DILG is processing the closing of the P1.116-million DILG-NCR Special Project Account and the P10.025-million DILG Central Office Trust Account.
For the latter, the Department has returned the unutilized P2.363-million balance to the source agency; and has utilized the P5.834-million from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Bureau of Fire Protection-Interagency Task Force.
“As of today (December 28), the BFP-IATF fund balance of only P199,627.90 shall be utilized for unpaid claims, afterwhich, any remaining balances shall be remitted to the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) at year-end.
The DILG is now coordinating with the BTr to open the Modified Disbursement System Trust Account under the LBP.
“This account will be used for fund transfers granted or entrusted to the Department and may take effect in January 2025,’’ the DILG explained.
The Commission on Audit flagged the Department of the Interior and Local Government for ‘maintaining’ four unauthorized bank accounts, stressing that “their creation and retention’’ as of 2023 “have no legal basis.’’
Former fisheries undersecretary Eduardo Gongona has failed in his bid to reverse his graft indictment over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a P2.1-billion contract for vessel monitoring system (VMS) transceivers to a British company in 2018.
In a 13-page order, the Office of the Ombudsman denied Gongona’s motions for partial reconsideration for the reversal of the graft indictments against him, former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director Demosthenes Escoto and Simon Tucker of SRT Marine Systems Solutions.
The ombudsman said the motions lacked basis.
“Succinctly, the respondent-movant did not include any newly discovered evidence that would materially affect the assailed findings of this office; neither was he able to show any errors of law or irregularities committed therein that would warrant its reversal,” the ombudsman said.
“The arguments he has put forth have either been already considered or passed upon in the assailed resolution, or better ventilated during trial proper than at the preliminary investigation level,” it added.
The complaint was filed by lawyer James Mier Victoriano after the contract to supply VMS transmitters and transceivers for BFAR’s Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System Project Phase II (PHILO Project) was awarded to SRT-UK.
The supply contract was initially awarded to an unqualified bidder, SRT-France, before it was cancelled and awarded to the parent company, SRT-UK.
The PHILO project aimed to strengthen BFAR’s capability to monitor the country’s maritime resources by requiring all commercial fishing vessels to install a monitoring system showing their location at sea.
Former fisheries undersecretary Eduardo Gongona has failed in his bid to reverse his graft indictment over alleged irregularities in the awarding of a P2.1-billion contract for vessel monitoring system (VMS) transceivers to a British company in 2018.
A police officer was detained after he allegedly shot dead a construction worker and wounded the victim’s father in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental on Christmas Day.
The 21-year-old victim was declared dead on arrival at the Valladolid District Hospital, where his father was also taken for treatment.
Reports said Cpl. Armin Alanza, 36, a member of the 604th Maneuver Company of the Western Visayas police, and the victims figured in a spat in a shop in Barangay Canjusa.
Police said Alanza drew his service pistol and allegedly shot the victims, killing one of them.
Alanza suffered an injury in the head after the victim’s father hit him during the commotion, reports said.
The Western Visayas police assured the family of the victims that a thorough and impartial investigation would be conducted on the case.
A police officer was detained after he allegedly shot dead a construction worker and wounded the victim’s father in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental on Christmas Day.
A member of Bureau of Fire Protection was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in front of his house in Barangay Pantay Daya here on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Police identified the victim as Senior Fire Officer 1 Anthony T. Manuel, 40, assigned to the BFP-Vigan.
Investigation said that the victim was on his way out of his house to work onboard a motorcycle at about 10 p.m. when he was shot.
He was declared dead in the hospital from multiple bullet wounds.
Police recovered four empty shells and one fired bullet in the crime scene.
Follow-up investigation is underway.
A fireman has been assassinated.
The Philippine National Police has recorded 15 cases of indiscriminate discharge of firearms ahead of the New Year’s Eve revelry, with 10 of the lawbreakers taken into custody following the incidents between Dec. 16 and Dec. 29.
The 10 arrested included government personnel, one of them a police officer, the other a member of the Bureau of Corrections, and the third a security guard. The other seven were civilians.
A total of nine firearms were confiscated by the PNP.
By region, of the 15 cases of indiscriminate firing, six were from Calabarzon; four from National Capital Region; two from Central Visayas; and one each from Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The PNP also reported that four people were wounded due to indiscriminate firing while a fifth person was hit by a stray bullet. There were also four incidents of stray bullets.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil on Sunday placed all police units nationwide on heightened alert to assist the public, particularly travelers and those facing emergencies.
He said that police units had been mobilized to maintain peace and order during New Year celebrations and ensure public safety.
“Our officers are trained and equipped to handle emergencies, from providing immediate first aid to assisting in fire response operations. We are ready to serve the public in every way possible,” Marbil said in a statement.
A PNP officer and a member of the Bureau of Corrections have been arrested for indiscriminate firing.
A police intelligence officer was killed while three persons were wounded after two unidentified gunmen shot them while they were sitting at a small store in Lebak town, Sultan Kudarat province on Monday night.
Colonel Bernard Lao, Sultan Kudarat police director, identified the victim as Staff Master Sgt. Louie Noble, who was assigned to the Lebak municipal police office.
Lao said Noble was conducting surveillance in the town’s amusement park in Barangay Poblacion 1 together with other civilian agents when they were attacked past 11 p.m.
Noble suffered a gunshot wound in the head and body.
The three other victims were Cresensiano Sia, 33; Ronaldo Fernando, 32; and Christian Pedro, 24.
Cresensiano sustained a gunshot wound on his left ankle, while Fernando was hit on his right biceps. Pedro was wounded on his back.
Police scene-of-the-crime operatives recovered 10 empty shells for caliber .45 and caliber .40 pistols.
Pursuit operation against the suspects is ongoing.
Initial police investigation revealed that the attack could be work-related.
A PNP officer has been assassinated by unknown men.
An active member of the Philippine Air Force landed in detention after he was caught spending time with his alleged mistress in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Monday, Dec. 30.
On Sunday evening, Dec. 29, police in Lapu-Lapu City responded to a complaint filed by a 42-year-old woman who accused her husband of having illicit affairs.
The husband turned out to be an active member of the Philippine Air Force.
According to reports from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Station, the wife told police that she received a tip from a friend, claiming to have spotted her 41-year-old husband with another woman.
The victim also told the police that she had long suspected that her husband had a mistress, adding that she had been lied to multiple times.
The police then proceeded to Brgy. Agus, also in Lapu-Lapu City, where the suspect was reportedly spotted with his mistress.
A few hours later, at approximately 1 a.m. the next day, Monday, authorities managed to track down the suspect and his mistress inside the latter’s rented boarding house in Sitio Malinao, also in Brgy. Agus.
Police said they caught the suspect sleeping with his mistress, who was a 38-year-old seamstress.
Both the suspect and his mistress are currently under the custody of Lapu-Lapu City Police Station.
The former may face charges of concubinage while adultery for the latter.
An active member of the Philippine Air Force landed in detention after he was caught spending time with his alleged mistress.
