It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Mayor Ceasar Perez was shot by still unidentified persons at the premises of the municipal hall.
Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez confirmed the death of Perez, who was once the province's vice governor as well.
According to a police report, Perez was supposed to be heading back to his office after getting a massage when shot twice at the back of his head.
The police could not determine who the culprits were and where the shots came from, although eyewitness accounts said they seemed to have come from afar.
Another mayor on the narco-list assassinated. Of course this article does not tell you that. Why not?
Nine days after he was shot in Barangay Bukal here, former Pagbilao Mayor Romeo Portes succumbed to a gunshot wound to the face on Thursday night.
This was confirmed by his daughter, incumbent Pagbilao Mayor Shieree Ann Portes-Palicpic, who said that her father’s remains has been brought back to the family residence on Friday.
The elder Portes passed away at a hospital in Manila where he was taken after he was shot last November 24 by a still unidentified assailant.
According to a police report, Portes was sitting on a chair in front of the KGP building on J. P. Rizal Street here when a suspect arrived on a motorcycle, walked up to the victim, and shot him in the face.
An ex-mayor who was shot in the face by an unknown gunman succumbed to his wounds.
Police need to wear body cameras during operations, Sen. Francis Pangilinan stressed on Saturday, citing the case of peasant organizer Amanda Echanis who was arrested by police along with her infant son earlier this week based on what she and groups said were planted evidence and fabricated charges.
"We need to protect the public against the possibility of police abuse of power or use of violence such as planting of evidence, illegal arrest, and even killings," Pangilinan said in Filipino.
He further called for the immediate passage of his Senate Bill 427 or The Body Camera Act which requires law enforcers to immediately activate the recording devices at the beginning of their operations or at the first reasonable opportunity when there is an immediate threat to life and safety. The measure stipulates that the cameras shall not be deactivated until operations have been concluded.
In his statement, Pangilinan noted that the bill, if enacted into law, would be helpful in areas without CCTV and would serve as protection for policemen as well.
There have been calls for body cameras on the PNP for a long time now. It's not surprising it has not happened as there are monetary issues as well as technical issues. Funny that a Senator thinks the people need to be protected from the police.
There will be no more TikTok videos from Bureau of Immigration personnel in uniform.
BI on Monday banned its employees from post videos of them singing, dancing and performing other acts while in uniform on social media application TikTok.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the prohibition order is in line with the bureau’s regulations on the wearing of uniform. Posting of such videos also undermines the reputation of the bureau and creates a negative image of its personnel, who are among the country’s frontliners, he added.
Morente also stressed that BI personnel are not allowed to use their mobile phones while on duty.
“As public servants and supposed model employees, employees must proudly wear their uniform at all times, present a professional image to the public and observe proper decorum and good taste in all their actions while they are on duty,” he added.
The BI chief warned that personnel who will defy the ban may face administrative complaints for insubordination and conduct prejudicial to the interest of the service.
Morente issued the order after videos of airport immigration officers on TikTok surfaced. He said these videos are “reckless” and “belittle” the bureau’s image.
TikTok is without a doubt the most stupid and worthless app of them all.
Edwin Cordevilla, secretary general of the Filipino League of Advocates For Good Government (FLAGG), lodged the impeachment complaint against Leonen before the Office of the House Secretary General.
Defeated senatorial candidate and lawyer Larry Gadon was present in the filing of the complaint as legal counsel of Cordevilla.
Cordevilla, in his complaint, alleged that Leonen committed culpable violation of the Constitution for supposedly failing to dispose of at least 37 cases within 24 months.
This, he said, is in violation of Section 16, Article III of the Constitution which mandates the speedy disposition of cases.
"Respondent’s track record of gross inefficiency as shown by the snail pace in which he resolves his cases casts doubts on his competency. No other sitting Justice has ever displayed the same inefficiency and incompetence," the complaint read.
Moreover, Cordevilla claimed that Leonen also violated the Constitution for "arbitrarily, willfully, intentionally, [and] deliberately" delaying the resolution of cases pending before him as chairperson of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).
He cited a statement from Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. that there were still "more than 30 pending electoral protests" pending before the HRET almost a year after Leonen was appointed to the body in October 2019.
"Since the resolution of election controversies are a vital factor in our democracy, it is incumbent upon the Chairperson to ensure that pending election cases before the HRET are timely resolved since clearly, these cases are imbued with public interest and are time sensitive," the complaint read.
"By failing to act on the cases pending before him both in the Supreme Court and the HRET, respondent has clearly betrayed public trust. His incompetence and inefficiency, has caused the erosion of the public’s faith in our judicial system," it added.
Lastly, Cordevilla alleged that Leonen betrayed public trust when he failed to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) during his tenure at the University of the Philippines.
He claimed that Leonen spent 22 years in UP — from 1989 until 2011 — but, citing a "published article," the magistrate only filed his SALNs for the years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011.
This supposedly meant that from 1989 to 2003, and 2008 to 2009, or a total of 15 years, "respondent completely ignored the law" on the filing of SALN, he added.
For this same reason, Cordevilla argued that Leonen failed to meet the requirements set by the Judicial and Bar Council as he "failed to file his SALN for four years," from 2002, 2003, 2008, and 2009.
This was the first impeachment complaint filed against Leonen.
Ilocos Norte Representative Angelo Marcos Barba, a cousin of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., endorsed the complaint.
The former senator currently has a pending electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, who defeated him in the 2016 elections, before the Supreme Court acting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
"Mang Ed Cordevilla came to me and as a constituent in my district, I entertained him, I heard his complaint and I believed in it. That's why I'm here as his congressman. I accompanied them, and that's it," Barba said.
The fact that he is endorsing the complaint against Leonen, while being a cousin of Marcos, "is secondary already," he added.
It can be recalled that Gadon was also one of the complainants for the impeachment of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in 2017.
Whatever the merits of this case may or may not be the fact is that it was pretty inevitable since Tiglao published an article about Leonen's SALN's, Calida's attempt to access those SALN's, and Bongbong Marcos' complaints filed against him asking him to recuse himself from his poll protest case. It's just a another political hit job and has nothing to do with people trying to get to the truth of things. We shall see how this will play out in the same House of Representatives which denied ABS-CBN an operating license. Former justice Antonio Carpio has written an op-ed piece tearing down each point of contention which is well worth reading.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte's list of politicians supposedly involved in illegal drug trade — which includes slain Los Baños mayor Cesar Perez — is not drawn "out of thin air," but also admitted that such is not enough to file charges.
Perez, who was shot inside the municipal hall last week, was the latest to be killed in what has been at least a dozen local chief executives murdered under the Duterte administration.
In a regular press briefing, Roque, who was once known as a human rights lawyer, said he had inquired about the narco list's credibility in his years as a congressman.
And while he said there were leads pointing to those included, it had not been sufficient to charge them. Duterte, who himself is a lawyer, has also not provided evidence to support his allegations.
"What I understand is there is really information to that, although it is not yet enough to stand as cases before our courts," Roque said in Filipino. "There is basis but what I know is charges haven't been filed yet as case build up is still ongoing."
The narco-list has been one of the most controversial things of Duterte's presidency because many on it have ended dup the victims of motorcycle assassins. Now the government admits that the list is not even strong enough to stand in court. One wonders why the government has not done more to build cases against those on the list and file appropriate charges. But no need to do so when the accuses is dead.
The Sandiganbayan has ordered the 90-day suspension of Vice Governor Marc Douglas Cagas IV of Davao del Sur in connection with the graft and malversation charges filed against him for the alleged pork barrel scam.
Cagas has been charged for alleged transfer of P7.55 million of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to entities owned by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles.
Davo del Sur Vice Governor orded suspended for 90 days to his alleged participation in the pos barrels scam.
A former soldier and five other suspects yielded PHP207,400 worth of illegal drugs in separate anti-drug operations in the region, police officials announced Tuesday.
The suspects were identified as Edmichael Ramos, 34; Edmark Ramos, 36; Bubai Ramos, 19; Alexan Demecillo, 27; Minardo Sarita, 39; and, Adrena Abraham, 31.
Maj. Elmer Solon, Zamboanga City Police Office’s (ZCPO) Station 11 chief, said the Ramos brothers were arrested in a buy-bust operation around 6 p.m. Monday in Barangay Baliwasan, here.
Solon said recovered from the three were some 3.67 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP25,000 and PHP200 marked money.
He added that Edmichael was previously arrested in an anti-drug operation in 2018.
Capt. Edwin Duco, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, said Demecillo, a former soldier who was discharged in May, was arrested by a joint police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) team in a buy-bust operation around 1 p.m. Monday in Purok Duldol, Barangay FL Peña, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Demecillo yielded some PHP54,400 worth of suspected shabu, a cellular phone, and PHP11,500 boodle money topped with PHP500 genuine bill as marked money.
Former solider yields PUP54,400 worth of shabu in a buy-bust.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a barangay chairman and ex-officio councilor of Glan town, Sarangani province while visiting here Wednesday morning.
Maj. Rommel Constantino, chief of Lagao police station, identified the victim as Isedrito Poncardas Cañete, 56, chairman of Barangay Glan Padidu and the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay of Glan.
He said the victim and his driver were on their way to the city proper aboard a gray Toyota Fortuner (NCY-3259) when they were waylaid by two motorcycle-riding suspects around 10:10 a.m.
“The vehicle was at a traffic stop in front of the Robinsons Mall when the gunmen approached and shot the victim several times,” he told reporters.
Constantino said Cañete suffered gunshot wounds on the head and body and was declared dead upon arrival in a nearby private hospital.
Oh no! Another barangay captain shot dead by unknown assassins for unknown reasons.
A dismissed police officer assigned in Metro Manila involved in extortion was wounded after resisting arrest in an entrapment operation in Navotas City.
In a statement Thursday, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Debold Sinas, said Don Osias, 39, was shot in the leg by arresting police officers of the PNP Maritime Group Regional Maritime Unit-National Capital Region (RMU-NCR) during the operation at the Navotas Fish Port Complex on Dec. 4.
PNP Maritime Group director, Brig. Gen. Omega Jireh Fidel, said Osias, who was misrepresenting himself as a member of the PNP Maritime Group, has been the subject of complaints from four drivers of fish delivery trucks at the fish port for alleged extortion activities.
Acting on these complaints, Fidel said operatives of RMU-NCR fielded undercover operatives disguised as truck helpers to entrap the suspect.
A PNP officer involved in extortion? Why I never!
