It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
POLICE Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7) Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin has ordered an investigation into the two personnel of the Mobile Patrol Unit of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) who were caught sleeping inside the patrol car while on duty as shown in a video that gone viral in the social media.
The two officers were captured on camera dozing off inside the patrol car as it was parked along General Maxilom Avenue in uptown Cebu City at dawn on Thursday, April 13, 2023, with its engine and air conditioner on.
A certain Alex Lim took the video and uploaded it on Facebook.
Because of that, CCPO Chief Colonel Ireneo Dalogdog ordered for their relief and temporarily assigned them to the Cebu City Holding Admin Unit while the investigation for administrative case is ongoing.
The chief of the Mobile Patrol Unit and their patrol supervisor were also included in the probe.
Aberin said the said policemen are undergoing due process and given the right to defend themselves and explain their side on the issue.
“As PRO 7 is fast in recognizing good deeds of our men on the ground, we are also swift in imposing disciplinary measures to personnel who violate PNP policy in the performance of their duties,” Aberin.
Two cops are being investigated for being asleep on the job.
Police have arrested a soldier for allegedly shooting to death a fellow trooper here on Friday night, authorities said Saturday.
Acting Tagum city police chief Lt. Col. Jeffrey Latayada said the suspect, identified as Cpl. Reibong Medalla, was apprehended following a hot pursuit after gunning down Jayson Cawayan, a resident of Montevista town, Davao de Oro.
Police investigation revealed that the incident happened along a road at Purok Santol, Barangay La Filipina at around 9:30 p.m.
Latayada said the victim, reportedly a member of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, was riding a motorcycle together with a female companion, when he was shot by the suspect who was also on a motorcycle driven by another person.
The 34-year-old victim died upon arrival at a local hospital. His female companion was unharmed.
Latayada said Medalla was arrested by police in coordination with military personnel near an Army camp and is now under police custody.
A soldier has been arrested for killing a fellow solider.
An employee of the National Irrigation Administration and his daughter escaped unscathed from an ambush perpetrated by still unidentified gunmen in Barangay Labu-Labu here Monday.
The initial police report said Ismael Gudal was driving his white sports utility vehicle when they were waylaid near Labu-Labu bridge past 6:30 a.m., a few meters away from an Army checkpoint.
Gudal, an employee of Kabulnan Irrigation System in Shariff Aguak town, was taking his daughter to school in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
Municipal police station chief Capt. Ramillo Serame said they are investigating the incident.
A government employee has survived an assassination attempt.
A rookie policeman landed in jail after he was caught selling shabu in a buy-bust conducted by agents of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG), in Guinobatan, Albay.
Nabbed was Patrolman Joshua Resentes, assigned to the Regional Headquarters Support Unit, of the Police Regional Office 5.
IMEG director Police Col. Victor Rosete said the operation against Resentes was carried out after an arrested drug user squealed the rookie cop’s name as the source of illegal drugs during an interrogation.
A buy-bust was then carried out which resulted in the arrest of Resentes in Purok 1, Barangay San Rafael on May 11 after receiving the P16,000 marked and boodle money from the poseur buyer as payment for the shabu.
Rosete said Resentes is now temporarily detained at Guinobatan MPS for documentation, proper disposition, and eventual filing of cases.
A rookie police office has been busted for selling drugs.
An official of the Philippine National Police was detained after the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs cited them for contempt on Tuesday.
Capt. Jonathan Sosongco, head of the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Unit-Special Operations Unit, earned the ire of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa for what seemed to be an evasion of questions regarding the identity of the informant in connection with the seizure of 990 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine or shabu worth P6.7 billion.
This was reportedly the subject of the pilferage attempt.
Sosongco was among the 49 cops found liable for the alleged cover-up of irregularities in the police operation.
Bato asked Sosongco who the informant was, but the latter said he only had the informant’s phone number.
When asked about the phone number, Sosongco said the phone where the number was saved was already gone.
(This alibi is too much. You’re taking too much of our time.)
The senator then cited Sosongco for contempt.
His fellow lawmakers did not object to the motion.
“Sergeant of Arms, take physical custody of Lieutenant General Sosongco,” Bato ordered.
(This man is lying too much. You called the informant. Then you will tell us you don’t have the number? You just fool this committee like that?)
A PNP officer has been charged with contempt for lying to the Senate during an investigation.
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives have bagged a police sergeant implicated in two slay attempts in Negros Oriental in a follow-up operation inside Camp Crame in Quezon City on Tuesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, the suspect was identified as Staff Sgt. Noel Santa Ana Alabata Jr. and was arrested in front of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group Building (PDEG) at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
He was arrested using two arrest warrants for cases of attempted murder and attempted homicide issued by two courts in Dumaguete City.
He was later taken to the CIDG office for documentation and custody while awaiting a Commitment Order from the issuing courts.
“The accused was formerly assigned to PDEG Region 6 (Western Visayas) and allegedly used by the Teves as a hitman for a certain ‘Ong,’ a rival of the Teveses in their business,” CIDG director Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. was quoted as saying in the CIDG statement.
“Our verification is ongoing on the accused who was tagged as gunman of the Teveses to know if he is involved in other cases. We will be fair on all the information that we would obtain to ensure that justice will prevail,” he added.
A cop accused of being a hitman has been arrested.
A retired member of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and three others were arrested in a buy-bust operation on Tuesday night inside an alleged drug den in Antipolo City, Rizal.
Operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Rizal province and local police officers collared at 11:36 p,m. Lyndon Baylon, Aaron Marilao, Rowland Gamponia, and Joshualee Lopez in a sting operation inside an alleged drug den in Barangay Cupang, the PDEA-Calabarzon reported on Wednesday, May 17.
Authorities seized 13 grams of shabu (crystal meth) worth P89,700 and various drug paraphernalia from the arrested suspects, all residents of Cupang.
The report tagged Baylon as a “retired Maritime Police,” but did not specify who among the arrested suspects is the drug den maintainer.
A retired cop has been busted on drug charges.
Three persons, including a government employee of Davao Oriental, were arrested in an anti-drug operation on Wednesday night in Mati City, authorities said on Thursday, May 11.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Davao Oriental identified the suspects as Eric Belsondra, 38, of Sitio Nasa, Barangay Dahican; Eric Lanaban, and Ronald Besoro.
The joint operation with the Mati police was conducted around 9 p.m. against Belsondra in a suspected drug den at Purok Tate, Martinez Subdivision, Dahican, PDEA Davao Oriental said in a report.
A confidential agent bought from Belsondra a sachet of suspected shabu (crystal meth) for P1,000, leading to his arrest.
Also apprehended were Lanaban, a job order employee of the Davao Oriental provincial capitol, as well as Besoro, who were caught sniffing suspected shabu at the scene.
Recovered at the scene were a medium-sized heat-sealed plastic sachet with suspected shabu weighing about six grams worth P40,800, assorted drug-use paraphernalia, and the marked money used in the operation.
Cases of violating the anti-drug law were filed against the suspects.
A government job order employee has been arrested on drug charges.
Police Brig. Gen. Jose S. Hidalgo Jr., Police Regional Office-3 director, announced Thursday, May 18, the relief of a chief of police in Central Luzon over illegal gambling.
Hidalgo said he relieved the chief of police due to his failure to monitor illegal gambling operations within his area of responsibility.
He said that he has given an ultimatum to all police chiefs in Region 3 to curb illegal gambling in their areas.
Failure to do so, he said, will result into immediate removal from post as the “one-strike policy” is strictly being implemented.
The PRO-3 learned of the police chief’s failure to contain illegal gambling after a concerned resident informed them that illegal color games are still proliferating inside a fun fair (perya) in Orion, Bataan.
This was verified by the Special Operations Group of the Regional Intelligence Division 3 and a raid was conducted that led to the arrest of the operators and bettors.
A police chief has been relieved of duty for failing to contain illegal gambling.
Fugitive Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been formally charged by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before prosecutors for the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo last March.
NBI Director Medardo de Lemos personally attended the filing which also saw voluminous boxes of evidence submitted by the NBI to prosecutors to back the charges of murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder against Teves.
Remulla clarified that they initially received information that Teves purchased a ticket for a Philippine bound flight Wednesday. Teves’ camp, who has insisted that there are threats on his life, has denied that he had planned to return home.
“Ang alam kasi namin ticketed na siya (What we know was that he is ticketed), basta we have sources to tell us his movements. We will not release it if we do not have any reasonable ground to believe that something was going to happen, something may happen and that’s part of it. We have our sources to tell us what the facts are,” Remulla said.
Remulla also urged Teves to return to the country and face the charges. “Well, flight is an indication of guilt, by any language, by any jurisdiction, by any legal system,” the DOJ chief added.
Remulla said the presence of Teves is required if he wants to formally refute the allegations that he masterminded the attack which resulted in the death of their family’s political rival and nine others.
“Di naman pwede in absentia i-file yan (It could not be filed in absentia). He [Teves] has to personally appear to swear by the contents of his counter affidavit,” the DOJ chief said adding that the same cannot be done by Teves online or before a Philippine embassy abroad.
“He cannot do that. He has to come home or they can file the case in court and the warrant will be issued in absentia,” Remulla said.
Rep. Teves has been officially charged with murder.