It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/18/3-suspected-hackers-including-a-navy-officer-arrested-by-nbi |
Three suspected hackers, including an officer of the Philippine Navy (PN), have been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago on Thursday, July 18, presented before the media the three suspects who are alleged members of the Blood Sec International (BSI) and who were arrested during operations conducted in Metro Manila and Cagayan de Oro City last July 16.
The suspects reportedly hacked the systems of the PN and the New Era University.
Two of the suspected hackers were identified as Daniel Xavier Valdez and Anikin Luke Abales. The third suspect, a PN officer, was not identified due to an ongoing investigation.
Valdez has been charged with violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 under Republic Act No. 10175 for allegedly hacking the system of the New Era University, while Abales was charged with violations of RA 10175 and RA 10173, the Data Privacy Act of 2012, for reportedly hacking PN's system.
“They are one group. They are responsible for the 2016 hacking of the Commission on Elections,” Santiago said. .
He also said that Valdez has admitted to be the founder of the group.
NBI Cybercrime Division (NBI-CCD) Chief Jeremy C. Lotoc said the operation was an offshot of the arrest of suspected hackers in Tagaytay City last July 8.
During the controlled viewing of one of the phones of those arrested in Tagaytay, Lotoc said it was found that there was communication with a hacker who was found later to be a member of PN.
Through the help of the PN, the NBI was able to identify that the suspected hacker was the Navy officer, Lotoc also said.
He said the mobile phone of the PN member showed that it has a directory scanner. "The directory scanner has the capability to scan secret files, directory, etcetera sa system ng ating Philippine Navy,” he explained.
When investigators dug deeper, Lotoc disclosed that it was found that the directory scanner remained active and that the Navy man was also in constant communication with a person who was later found to be Valdez.
“So we hatched an operation to arrest the founder of the BSI,” he said.
Valdez was arrested in Cubao, Quezon City following a brief chase with the NBI.
“At the same time, we discovered another member of the BSI in Cagayan de Oro City and apparently his participation in the hacking was that he has possession of the source code,” Lotoc noted.
New Era University representatives said what was breached was the school’s data processing system.
PN Spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos assured that what the suspected hackers accessed were open source information already publicly made available during press conferences of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Valdez claimed that since 2020 he has not been doing illegal activities. He alleged that he was asked by his member to test the system of the Philippine Navy.
After conducting the tests, Valdez said he contacted his member at the PN and "I gave the information how to fix the vulnarabilities and how to strengthen security.”
“I apologize to the Philippine Navy and Philippine Army for defacing and testing without papers,” said Valdez who admitted what he did had no approval from military officials.
Three suspected hackers, including an officer of the Philippine Navy, have been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation.
The Court of Appeals (CA) has reversed the acquittal of former police lieutenant colonel Rafael Dumlao as the mastermind of the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in 2016.
The CA sentenced Dumlao to a life term without parole and ordered him to pay P350,000 in damages for the charge of kidnapping with homicide and P225,000 in damages for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, according to a statement by the Supreme Court issued yesterday afternoon.
Dumlao was also sentenced to another 35 years for carjacking.
The decision was penned by CA 13th Division Associate Justice Carlito Calpatura, who granted a petition filed by government prosecutors to nullify the 2023 decision of Pampanga Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 60 Judge Eda Dizon acquitting Dumlao, a former official of the defunct Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (PNP-AIDG).
In granting the petition, the CA found that Dizon “gravely abused (her) discretion by gross misapprehension of facts” when she acquitted Dumlao.
The CA also ruled that the proceedings before Dizon were “a sham and an apparent mockery of the judicial process.”
The CA held that “the RTC reached a conclusion that clearly contradicted the testimonies of witnesses, rendering the prosecution’s presentation of evidence inutile and blatantly abusing its discretion to a point so grave as to deprive it of its very power to dispense justice.”
“It erred in brushing aside the circumstantial evidence by the prosecution, which is sufficient by itself to support a judgment of conviction and could have galvanized Dumlao’s culpability,” the CA’s decision stated.
Dumlao, SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, SPO4 Roy Villegas, former National Bureau of Investigation aide Jerry Omlang and Gerardo Santiago were charged for kidnapping and killing Jee.
They were also charged for the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of Jee’s househelp Marisa Morquicho and stealing Jee’s vehicle.
The Pampanga judge found Sta. Isabel and Omlang guilty but acquitted Dumlao.
The Court of Appeals has reversed the acquittal of former police lieutenant colonel Rafael Dumlao as the mastermind of the kidnap-slay of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in 2016.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/20/manila-city-hall-employee-arrested-after-extorting-p500-from-street-vendor |
An employee of the Manila City Hall was arrested after he extorted money from a street vendor in Ermita, Manila on Friday, July 19.
The Manila Police District (MPD) identified the suspect as Christian Lopez, 48, a resident of Tondo, Manila and personnel of Manila Hawkers under Manila Bureau of Permits.
According to complainant Pamela Montoya, the suspect introduced himself as a personnel of Hawkers of the Manila City Hall who was assigned to remove road obstructions in Manila.
She said the suspect was demanding P500 from her in exchange for her stay in the area.
The suspect also threatened her that he will destroy her food cart if she fails to comply with his demand.
The suspect also mentioned to the victim that he will give the money to the Special Mayor’s Reaction Team (SMaRT) office.
The MPD operatives immediately conducted a surveillance to verify the veracity of the information and launched an entrapment operation against the suspect.
The suspect was brought to SMaRT office for documentation of the case.
An employee of the Manila City Hall was arrested after he extorted money from a street vendor in Ermita, Manila.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/22/coa-flags-incentive-phone-load-allowances-given-in-2023-to-officials-employees-of-lemery-town-in-iloilo |
The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the grant of P452,000 in productivity incentive benefit and communication allowances by the Lemery town in Iloilo to its officials and employees "despite the absence of legal basis."
In its 2023 annual audit report, the COA said the expenditure by the municipality "is considered as irregular disbursement of government funds."
In questioning the disbursement, the COA cited Item 9 of Civil Service Commission - Department of Budget and Management (CSC-DBM) Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2012 dated Sept. 3, 2012 which stressed that "the grant of the Productivity Incentive Benefit (PIB) shall be discontinued beginning Fiscal Year 2015."
However, when Lemery's 2023 transactions were audited, COA auditors found that every official and employee received P2,000 PIB or a total of P208,000.
It also said the municipality likwise shouldered the mobile load allowance of each department head and member of the Sangguniang Bayan, which totalled to P244,000 or P1,000 per month.
When questioned about these transactions, the COA said that the town's accountant told the audit team that it has been the practice of the municipality to grant its officers and employees such incentives and allowances annually or monthly.
It pointed out that the incentive and allowance are not among the standard and special-purpose allowances and benefits provided in the Total Compensation Framework established in Republic Act No. 11466, the Salary Standardization Law of 2019.
In the case of the the expenses for mobile loads, the COA said that since the payment was given directly to the department head in the form of monthly allowance, it is considered as an additional benefit granted to the employee concerned.
The COA then asked the officials of Lemery town to discontinue the grant of Productivity Incentive Allowance/Benefit and communication allowance to its officers and employees.
"Henceforth, we recommended and the Municipal Mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan agreed to ensure that the payment of allowances, incentives, and other benefits to its officers and employees are expressly provided by law, and other statutory authority, and the rules and regulations promulgated by competent authority to avoid incurrence of irregular expenditures of government funds," COA's audit report stated.
The Commission on Audit has questioned the grant of P452,000 in productivity incentive benefit and communication allowances by the Lemery town in Iloilo to its officials and employees "despite the absence of legal basis."
A 28-year-old policeman was seriously wounded in an accidental shooting incident in Barangay Rizal, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Sunday, July 21.Police Capt. Honey Labaro, deputy chief of the San Carlos City Police Station, said the victim dropped by the house of his girlfriend after the end of his duty at the police station.
Labaro said the police officer transferred his Glock 17 9mm caliber pistol tucked in his waist to his sling bag. However, he dropped the gun while moving it to his bag.
His girlfriend handed over the firearm to the victim but when he was about to put it in his bag, it hit his right jaw and accidentally pulled the trigger.
The victim was shot in the right jaw and was taken to a hospital. He underwent a surgery after he was transferred to a hospital here.
Labaro said the victim is currently under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.
Another cop has accidentally shot himself with his own weapon.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1229719 |
A complaint for attempted murder has been filed against a former city councilor and son of a barangay chairperson in Laguna over the shooting of a local journalist, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said Wednesday.
According to the PTFoMS, the Malacañang’s arm in charge of ensuring media security in the country, the case was filed last Monday, just a week after Marc Angelo Barrios of Laguna Patrol was shot by unidentified gunmen aboard a motorcycle.
Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez, PTFoMS executive director, commended the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for immediately responding to the task force’s request for a deeper investigation of the incident.
“This again showed that the established mechanism by the government to address any violation in the right to life, liberty, and security of all members of the press is working efficiently,” Gutierrez said.
The initial police report said two motorcycle riding suspects fired seven times at Barrios, while he was on his way home to Brgy. San Gregorio in San Pablo City on the evening of July 15. He was miraculously unharmed although his motorcycle was damaged by the attack.
The suspects then sped off toward an unknown destination.
The CIDG accompanied Barrios in the filing before the Prosecutor’s Office a case for frustrated murder against the principal suspect.
The task force refused to name the suspect “pending the result of the evaluation of the complaint by the attending prosecutor.”
Gutierrez also thanked the local police for its immediate assistance to Barrios after the incident.
A complaint for attempted murder has been filed against a former city councilor and son of a barangay chairperson in Laguna over the shooting of a local journalist.
