It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212991 |
The chief of police of Pasay City and 26 other police officers have been relieved from their posts amid an investigation into a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in the city which was raided by authorities for human trafficking and other illegal activities last month.
Pasay City Police Director Colonel Froilan Uy, Substation Commander Capt. Criz Antonio Cataluña, and 25 police non-commissioned officers are facing an investigation for possible neglect of duty, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Friday.
Fajardo said Col. Mario Mayanes would replace Uy as Pasay chief of police while replacing Cataluña would be Maj. Christel Carlo Villanueva.
"If this POGO has existed for a long time and there are illegal activities, remember, the PNP has a one-strike policy. If something has been happening there within your knowledge and you did nothing, then you will be charged with neglect of duty,” Fajardo said.
The Chief of the Pasay City police and 26 other cops have been axed for neglecting POGO activites.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212966 |
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has ordered the relief of a police officer in Las Piñas City from his post for alleged maltreatment of police trainees.
NCRPO spokesperson Lt. Col. Eunice Salas, in a message to the Philippine News Agency on Friday, said Maj. Knowme Sia was relieved from his post as chief of the Administrative Resources Management Section (ARMS) of the Las Piñas City Police Station, for allegedly using excessive force in disciplining erring police trainees.
“He was already relieved and was reassigned to the Administrative Holding Section of the Las Piñas City Police Station. He is undergoing investigation and will be charged with administrative and criminal cases,” Salas said, adding that the suspect might face an administrative complaint for grave misconduct and a criminal case for physical injury.
In a police report, the complainants said Sia ordered them to report to the station's headquarters at exactly 8 a.m. on Oct. 29 for administrative announcements and accounting amid the full alert status for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
However, the police trainees failed to come on time and were then marked late. Sia then instructed them to proceed to the station's Community Affairs Office where they were sanctioned for their misdemeanor.
Sia allegedly hit the trainees with a wooden stick in different parts of their bodies, including their heads.
A cop has been relieved for mistreating trainees.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212995 |
Four individuals, including a newly elected village councilman, are facing criminal charges for allegedly harassing voters during the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), a provincial police official said on Friday.
Major Nolan Tagsip, Cebu provincial police spokesperson, said three of the four armed men who reportedly harassed voters in Barangay Tapon, Dumanjug town on Monday, have been identified.
“Out of the four suspects, we were able to identify three. The complainants are hiring private lawyers to take care of their case against them,” Tagsip said.
They were seen on a video that circulated on Facebook during election day carrying short firearms.
One of the suspects reportedly won the recently concluded elections, he said.
The suspects are facing physical injury, grave threats, and illegal possession of loose firearms (Republic Act 10591) in relation to the Commission on Election-imposed gun ban.
The councilman will also face administrative charges, Tagsip added.
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, Police Regional Office-7 spokesperson, said Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin directed the Dumanjug police to investigate the incident and file appropriate charges against the councilman and three others.
A village councilor and three others face charges over poll interference.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1855975/fwd-police-on-shot-newly-elected-village-councilor-in-pasay-city |
A newly elected 58-year-old village councilor was shot dead inside a barangay hall in Pasay City on Monday, according to police.
In a report Tuesday, the Pasay City Police Station (CPS) identified the victim as “Lina.” He was attacked by two suspects onboard a motorcycle in front of Barangay 37 hall on San Juan Street at 5:35 p.m.
Police said the CCTV footage showed that the pillion rider alighted the motorcycle and shot the victim twice inside the barangay hall.The newly elected leader, who previously served as village treasurer, was rushed to the Adventist Medical Center but was pronounced dead at about 6:16 p.m., Pasay CPS said.
Meanwhile, the city’s Station Drug Enforcement Unit operatives patrolling the area apprehended the accomplice of the gunman after their motorcycle bumped a commuter waiting for a ride.
The accomplice was identified as 27-year-old “Vladimer,” while the other suspect who shot the victim eluded arrest.
Pasay CPS said its personnel already launched a manhunt operation to locate the whereabouts of the gunman.
A newly elected village councilor has been assassinated.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1213116 |
A municipal councilor was wounded but survived an attempt to kill him in front of his residence in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.Major Joanne Navarro, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-10 (Northern Mindanao), said Councilor Hermil Valledor, 45, is in stable condition after sustaining injuries when shot by a still-unidentified gunman."We urged our elected officials who are receiving threats on their lives to coordinate with our police force, we are always willing to cooperate," Navarro said in a radio interview on Monday.In a report, Maj. Renz Marion Serrano, chief of the Villanueva police station, said Valledor sustained wounds on his right cheekbones after the attack in Barangay Lourdes Imelda Sunday evening.Initial investigation showed that Valledor was onboard a waiting mini-truck and was about to head outside the gate of his house when the gunman opened fire."Due to panic and fear, both victim and witness did not notice any getaway vehicle of the suspect," Serrano said.Recovered from the crime scene was a spent .45-caliber cartridge. The Villanueva police were still determining the identity of the attacker.
A village councilor has survived an assassination attempt.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/7/2-ex-nabcor-officials-convicted-in-p4-8-m-illegally-disbursed-funds |
Two former officials of the now defunct National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) have been convicted by the Sandiganbayan in three criminal cases involving the ghost procurement of P4.8 million worth of seedlings for the 1st district of Lanao del Norte in 2009.
Convicted of graft, malversation of public funds, and malversation through falsification of commercial documents were former NABCOR administrative and finance director Rhodora B. Mendoza and general services chief Romulo M. Relevo.
On graft charge, Mendoza and Relevo were sentenced to a prison term ranging from six to 10 years with perpertual disqualification to hold public office.
The two former officials were sentenced to a jail term of 10 to 16 years for malversation of public funds, and from two to eight years imprisonment for malversation through falsification of commercial documents.
Certified Public Accountant Elizabeth D. Balbacal has been acquitted in the three cases for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
However, the anti-graft court ordered all of them -- Mendoza, Relevo and Balbacal -- to pay back the Bureau of Treasury more than P4.8 million representing the funds which were wrongfully and illegally disbursed.
Also charged in the three cases were former NABCOR president Alan A. Javellana and accountant Ma. Julie A. Villaralvo-Johnson, and Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation (KMBFI) finance officer Marilou L. Antonio. Since they remained at-large, the cases against them have been archived.
They were accused of giving unwarranted benefits to KMBFI and disbursed P4,850,000 of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of then congressman Vicente F. Belmonte Jr. for non-existent livelihood programs.
In acquitting Balbacal, the anti-graft court said that her signatures in the liquidation reports and auditors reports were not affixed by her, and there was insufficient proof that she participated in the preparation of the documents.
In convicting Mendoza and Relevo, the court said that their actions caused the disappearance of the funds.
It said: "If a demand was made upon an accountable public official to produce the funds in his custody and he or she failed to do so, the presumption thereby arising would render unnecessary further proof of conversion. The disappearance of public funds in the hands of the accountable officer is prima facie evidence of its conversion."
2 ex-NABCOR officials have been convicted for illegally disbursing funds.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1856279/new-village-councilman-slain-in-cotabato-gun-attack |
Unidentified gunmen shot dead on Tuesday morning a newly proclaimed village councilman of Antipas town, Cotabato province.
He was the second recently elected village official in the province to be killed in a gun attack in seven days.
The Antipas municipal police station, in a report to Brigadier General Jimili Macaraeg, Police Regional Office 12 director, identified the victim as Edmar Perero, 34, of Barangay Dolores.
In a statement, the Antipas police condemned the shooting of Perero and called on anyone who has information to help them locate the perpetrators.
Perero was driving a tricycle heading toward Barangay Magsaysay from Dolores, traversing an isolated concrete road near a banana plantation when attacked by motorcycle-riding gunmen.
Initial police investigation showed that Perero ran away after getting hit in the body but fell on a drainage canal as the suspects fired more shots.
Police found empty shells for a .45 pistol and 9-mm pistol at the crime scene. The police said the motive of the attack was still unknown as of posting time.
Perero ranked second in the race for village council seats of Barangay Dolores during the Oct. 30 polls.
A newly elected village councilman has been assassinated.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/08/23/newly-elected-village-chairman-shot-dead-in-panabo-city |
A newly elected village chief was shot dead by unknown assailants in Purok Mangga, Barangay Datu Abdul Dadia, Panabo City, Davao del Norte on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities identified the victim as Engr. Paul Albert Saquian, the new barangay chairman of Barangay Datu Abdul Dadia, Panabo City.Saquian was brought to a hospital after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds but was declared dead an hour after the incident.Based on the initial investigation of Panabo City Police, the victim was driving his car and was heading to his residence.He was fired upon by two unidentified men who were on a motorcycle. The assailants fled towards the city proper after the incident."Motive is yet to be determined. Hot pursuit operation is being conducted for the possible arrest of the suspect," Panabo City Police said in their initial report.Panabo City Mayor Jose Relampagos condemned the killing of Saquian, who was a former barangay kagawad.
A newly elected village chief has been assassinated.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1857250/newly-elected-barangay-chair-gunned-down-in-pagadian-city |
A newly elected barangay chairperson in Lapedian village in this city was gunned down about 6:30 Wednesday, outside his house.
Rofoldo Dacol, who had yet to take his oath of office as the new chairperson of Barangay Lapedian, was about to park the barangay-owned tricycle earlier used to transport a patient, when an unidentified gunman approached and shot him, Lieutenant Colonel Rex Perocho, chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said.
Lory Carillo, Dacol’s relative, said they were inside the house preparing dinner a few meters away, when they heard a gunshot and the victim’s cry for help.
They immediately rushed the bloodied Dacol to the infirmary hospital in Barangay Danlugan and later to the Aisah Hospital, but the attending physician declared him dead.
Dacol served as a barangay councilor when he decided to run and won the barangay chair’s seat in the recent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
His son Fraynald, a newly elected SK kagawad, said his father had received death threats before the elections, but they dismissed the information.
Dacol’s wife, Ruth, at the time of the shooting, was already washing her husband’s supposed attire for his oath-taking Thursday afternoon at the Pagadian City Commercial Center.
City Mayor Samuel Co condemned the killing.
Co, who openly supported Dacol, said he was aware of the victim’s struggle as a challenger to the incumbent during the recently concluded barangay and SK elections.
He said the motive for the attack had yet to be determined but “with Dacol being known as a good man… we only see politics as the possible motive,” said Co.
Among the city’s 54 barangays, only Lapedian was considered an area of concern by the Commission on Elections in the last elections, with reports of harassments from the two opposing parties, prompting the city to request a security detachment in the area with the composite team from both military and the local police.
But a few days after the successful polls, the composite security teams were pulled out from the area to another assignment, 53rd Infantry Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Terence Ylanan said.
Another newly elected barangay chief has been assassinated.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1857017/mpd-on-recapturing-7-of-9-tondo-jail-escapees-relief-of-custodial-officers |
Seven of the nine inmates who escaped from custodial facility of Manila Police District’s (MPD) Station 1 in Tondo, Manila on Wednesday morning have been recaptured, while several jail guards have been relieved from their posts, authorities said.
Recaptured after follow up operations were Arnold Olino, MJ Tauzon, Jericho Andal Antipuesto, Albert Calayas, Gian Carlo Rayala, Adriano Zilmar and John Joseph Laguna, according to MPD.
Two remaining inmates, Master Cedric Zodiacal and Jefferson Tumbaga, are still being tracked down as of posting time, the police said.
According to the National Capital Region Police Office, initial investigation showed that detainees escaped after dismantling the iron grill on the side of the detention facility.
The MPD did not reveal the identities of the police personnel but said a number of custodial officers have already been administratively relieved from their posts to give way to the ongoing investigation.
In a separate interview with reporters, Manila Police District acting director Arnold Thomas Ibay said they are looking at the extent of “negligence” of some four police officers.
Four jail guards have been sacked over accusations go negligence after 9 inmates escaped.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/8/dof-probes-58-employees-for-misconduct |
Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno has ramped up the anti-graft efforts of the Department of Finance through the strengthened operations of the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS).
“Prudent fiscal management must be underpinned by transparency and accountability. As custodians of public resources, we cannot afford to leave any room for graft and corruption,” Diokno said.
The RIPS, established under Executive Order No. 259 in 2003, serves as the DOF's anti-corruption division, responsible for conducting lifestyle checks, probing graft allegations, and initiating legal actions, both criminal and administrative, against officials and staff of the DOF, its bureaus, and attached agencies.
From July 2022 to September 2023, RIPS has launched a total of 58 investigations targeting officials and employees suspected of misconduct within its jurisdiction.
These involve 23 cases linked to the Bureau of Customs, 23 cases pertaining to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, six cases associated with the Bureau of Local Government Finance, one case involving the Insurance Commission, and one case concerning the Department of Finance.
There are also three cases related to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and one case involving the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.
It has filed five cases with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) against employees of the BIR, BOC, and BLFG; filed 6 cases with the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) against employees of the BIR; and has received 8 favorable resolutions during the term of President Marcos.
Since 2022 the DOF has filed cases against 58 employees for misconduct.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/11/8/coa-recommends-sanctions-vs-dict-officials-for-delay-non-submission-of-financial-statements |
The Commission on Audit (COA) has recommended that sanctions, like suspension of salaries, be imposed on erring officials of the Department of Information and Technology (DICT) for delay or non-submission of financial statements for three consecutive years.
"The DICT did not submit the year-end financial statement for three consecutive years as well as the quarterly financial statement along with the supporting account schedules and sick leaves, which were due on Feb. 14 of each year and 10 days after the end of the quarter, respectively," the COA said in its management letter.
In failing to make timely submissions, the COA said that the DICT's assertions on the completeness and accuracy of its accounts and transactions as of Dec. 31, 2022 could not be established.
Other financial reports supporting the financial statement such as the Aging of Accounts, Schedule of Income Taxes Paid, Schedule of Fund Transfer, Statement of Management Responsibility, Statement of Comparison of Budget and Actual Accounts were not prepared and submitted to the COA, it said.
"It shall be noted that several follow-ups were made to the accounting division yet compliance therewith remained unheeded," COA lamented.
"Further, supporting schedules and subsidiary ledgers (SLs) of the account balances supporting the trial balances (TBs) were not completely submitted," it said.
It noted that the DICT's accounting department only updates the SLs after the completion of the TB. "Thus, the TB submitted without the schedules and SLs supporting the amounts reported therein does not support the DICT's assertions on the correctness and completeness of the account balances reported therein," it said.
It then recommended that the DICT management take appropriate action on the suspension of salary against those who were responsible for the delayed or non-submission of financial statements for the past three years, based on the provisions of Volume 1 of the Government Accounting Manual (GAM) for national government agencies and Presidential Decree No. 1445.
The COA has recommended sanctions be imposed upon DICT officials who did not file financial statements for there consecutive years.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1213334 |
The Sandiganbayan on Thursday upheld its earlier ruling convicting former Sarangani governor Miguel Escobar and another former provincial official on graft and malversation of public funds charges, amounting to PHP450,000.
In a resolution dated Nov.9, the anti-graft court denied a motion for reconsideration filed by Escobar in connection with his conviction last August on the same charges arising from transactions in 2002 involving financial aid given to a fisherfolk group.
The tribunal also found guilty in its original ruling was then management analyst Alexis Jude Dela Cruz.
The accused were sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment and directed to reimburse the provincial government PHP450,000, and to pay a fine of PHP5,000 each.
"All told, accused Escobar and Dela Cruz failed to show any compelling reason why this Court should re-evaluate their arguments in their Motions and overturn its earlier pronouncement," Associate Justice Kevin Narce Vivero said in the ruling.
"Anent, accused Escobar's defense of good faith, we reiterate our ruling in the assailed Decision that he cannot simply invoke good faith to escape liability," the tribunal said.
Escobar claimed that he relied in good faith that the provincial administrator reviewed the letter request and supporting documents for the financial assistance to Malapatan Fishermen's Group.
However, the anti-graft court said there were deficiencies and irregularities in the documents that should have alerted the then-governor.
"Dela Cruz's claim that he did not receive any money or renumeration from the transaction and that shows his lack of motive to commit the crime is misplaced. Receipt of a sum of money or motive is not an essential element of the crime, thus, dispensable for conviction," the tribunal ruled.
The court said the accused made it appear that PHP450,000 in financial assistance was requested and given to the Malapatan Fishermen's Group, even as the prosecution showed that the group never received the financial assistance even after the check had been cashed.
The Sandiganbayan has upheld its conviction of a former governor for graft.
