It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/5/village-chair-husband-shot-dead-in-iloilo |
A barangay captain and her husband were shot dead in Dueñas town, Iloilo province, on Thursday morning, Dec. 5.
The Dueñas Municipal Police Station identified the fatality as Barangay Captain Michelle Lapastora Lamela of Barangay Santo Niño.
Investigation said Lamela was onboard a motorcycle driven by husband Rodney when a man on a motorcycle parked in a corner in Barangay Tinucuan shot them.
The victims sustained bullet wounds and were taken to the Don Valerio Palmares Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Passi City where they were declared dead.
The gunman fled the scene on board another motorcycle.
Police Regional Office-6 chief Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky and Iloilo Police Provincial Office head Police Col. Bayani Razalan inspected the crime scene.
Wanky said investigators are looking into two angles in the murder – politically motivated as Michelle was serving her first term and revenge as Rodney killed an individual in 2009.
A case was filed against Rodney but it was reportedly settled.
Police are conducting follow-up investigation.
A barangay captain and her husband were assassinated.
There is no end in sight to the perennial flooding problem in Metro Manila, especially during the rainy season, as infrastructure projects continue to languish in delays and other implementation inefficiencies, the latest report from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed.
In its 2023 annual audit report on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released on Dec. 1, the COA noted that 22 of the 58 projects and programs under the Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1 were already beyond their target completion dates for almost one year or up to 310 days as of Dec. 31, 2023.
The 22 projects have a total budget of P510.58 million.
Aside from these, COA said 29 other flood control projects – with a total allocation of P371.029 million – have yet to be implemented “due to non-observance of the conduct of early procurement activities and cancellation of projects.”
The COA said the government has already incurred P32.9 million in commitment fees from 2018 to 2023 because of the implementation delays. A commitment fee is paid to a bank or lender in exchange for an agreement to grant a loan at a later date and serves as compensation for setting aside the amount of loan instead of utilizing it for other purposes.
The audit team attributed the delays mainly to the MMDA’s “poor strategies in monitoring and implementation of programs and projects” which often resulted in revisions of target completion dates.
“The foregoing observations indicate non-observance by the MMDA of the conduct of early procurement activities. It also manifested the Project Management Office’s inadequacy of strategies to strictly implement the planned programs/projects and closely monitor the implementation,” the COA said.
“The MMDA must expedite the implementation of programs and projects as these will also improve the quality of services rendered to the public,” it added.
In a reply incorporated in the audit report, the MMDA said the 22 sub-projects identified by the audit team as not completed within the dates indicated in the original contracts were under valid time extensions.
The MMDA said the requests for time extensions were approved as the delays were not because of the contractor or supplier’s fault.
“The requests from service providers are mainly due to custom clearances, port congestion, changes of design and specifications for custom-made goods, reconceptualization, changing weather conditions, time suspensions and variation orders,” the MMDA management said.
In its rejoinder, however, the audit team maintained that the revisions in target completion dates “may be an indication of ineffective planning.”
“Thus, the PMO is encouraged to enhance its planning mechanisms and address foreseeable circumstances that may affect the timely implementation of the projects,” the audit team said.
The COA has called out the MMDA for delayed flood control projects.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/929260/cop-caught-in-intimate-situation-with-another-cop-s-wife-killed-chopped-up/story/ |
A cop was killed and chopped up by another police officer in Camp Bagong Diwa in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City after the latter caught the victim in an intimate situation with the latter's wife.
The crime occurred on November 28, Police Major Hazel Asilo, public information officer of the Southern Police District, said in an interview on Dobol B TV on Saturday.
The victim, who was not identified, held the rank of police executive master sergeant.
Asilo said the victim's body was found on December 5 buried in the male suspect's ancestral home in Baguio City.
The suspect, a police lieutenant colonel, admitted to committing the crime and executed an affidavit, she added.
Asilo said investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but crime of passion is an angle the police are probing.
According to Asilo, the suspect said he found the victim and his own wife, also an executive master sergeant, in a very intimate situation.
(Based on the statement he gave, the female suspect was found in a very intimate situation... He shot the victim.)
The male suspect then used a hacksaw and dismembered the victim.
Using a pickup, the male suspect transported the victim's body to Baguio City where the latter was buried.
The suspect later on told police where the body was buried.
Asilo added that prior to the discovery of the victim's body, the victim was reported missing.
(There were reports and social media posts we saw saying that the victim was missing. The victim's own child went to Camp Bagong Diwa because that was the last place the victim went to.)
Police are treating the suspect's wife as a suspect as well and may face charges of conspiracy as the crime was committed in her presence.
Charges of murder may also be filed against the couple, Asilo said.
Both of them were placed under police custody.
Police are still looking for the hacksaw used in the crime. The pickup was also placed in police custody.
Asilo said they are still awaiting the forensic report which would reveal how many gunshots the victim had.
A cop was killed and chopped up by another police officer in Camp Bagong Diwa in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City after the latter caught the victim in an intimate situation with the latter's wife.
Four people, including a former soldier, were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday for allegedly selling high-powered firearms and ammunition in Parañaque City.NBI Director Jaime Santiago identified those arrested as Jerome Nuyque, Maximo Ayawon, Michael Douglas Loleng and Nilo Barnacha.Santiago said the NBI-National Capital Region operation targeted a gun trafficking group in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, in violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.He said the four yielded two 5.56mm rifles, which were offered for P290,000, a caliber .45 pistol, a 6.35mm pistol and several bullets and ammunition magazines.Santiago said in a press conference yesterday that the firearms were sold to a Chinese client affiliated with a Philippine offshore gaming operator or POGO.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/12/08/2405802/afp-flagged-including-264-deceased-pensioners-payroll |
The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) over the latter’s failure to remove 264 deceased pensioners from its payroll and alpha list of active pensioners six to 25 months after their deaths, thus resulting in P73.11 million in overpayment of pension benefits.
“Audit of benefit payments revealed that based on the payrolls of active pensioners provided by the AFP Finance Center (AFPFC), several pensioners who were already deceased in calendar years (CYs) 2021, 2022 and 2023 still received benefits,” the COA said in its 2023 annual audit report on AFP General Headquarters (GHQ).
“For periods ranging from six to 25 months after their deaths, deceased pensioners were still granted benefits amounting to P73,110,052.32, notwithstanding the efforts of the AFP Pension and Gratuity Management Center (AFPPGMC) in updating and accounting for pensioners to update the pensioners list,” the state audit body added.
The audit observation was ironic as the AFPPGMC, in its 2023 Annual Accomplishment Reports presented to the audit team, claimed that it was able to update 168,242 pensioners’ records, or 20.32 percent more than its target of 139,832.
“Ideally, once the principal pensioner dies and the pension benefit is transferred to the qualified beneficiary, the principal should be deleted immediately from the pensioners’ list to reflect the accurate number of principals and beneficiaries,” the COA pointed out.
It explained that the inclusion of deceased pensioners in the payroll and alpha list of active pensioners indicates “lapses in the implementation of monitoring mechanisms” prescribed under its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 14 dated July 15, 2019, prescribing the guidelines in the administration and utilization of the AFP Pension Fund.
The audit record showed that for 2023, a total of P43.602 million in overpayment of pension benefits was incurred by the AFP due to the inclusion of the deceased pensioners.
For 2022 and 2021, a total of P29.508 million in overpayment of pension benefits was incurred.
The COA said among the possible causes of leakage was because some pensioners under the age of 70 passed away after their scheduled annual updating of records and their relatives “either intentionally or unintentionally” deferred informing the AFPPGMC of their deaths.
“Since updating is only required once a year, this led to the continuous receipt of benefits since the next update is required at least two months prior to the pensioner’s upcoming birthday,” the state audit body added.
Following this development, the AFP committed to implement the audit recommendations, adding that in the fourth quarter of last year, its PGMC has created and operationalized a call center to validate the non-updating pensioners with the aim of minimizing the continuous deposit of pensions or overpayments and to also caters to the updating of records of all pensioners.
The Commission on Audit has called out the Armed Forces of the Philippines over the latter’s failure to remove 264 deceased pensioners from its payroll and alpha list of active pensioners six to 25 months after their deaths, thus resulting in P73.11 million in overpayment of pension benefits.
An incumbent municipal councilor and reelectionist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Umingan town, Pangasinan, on Saturday night, December 7.
The victim, identified as 59-year-old Ponciano Vallecer Onia of Barangay San Leon, was ambushed while driving his car with two employees, Ar-Jhay Roldan Molina and Mark John Dagul Nava.
The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. at an intersection in Barangay Lubong, said Capt. Renan dela Cruz, information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office.
Onia was rushed to the Umingan Community Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Police said the suspects fled on a motorcycle after firing multiple shots at the victim. Authorities immediately launched dragnet operations and are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the perpetrators.
"We are looking into all angles, including his business and personal life," said dela Cruz. The motive for the killing remains under investigation.
A joint command conference with the Commission on Elections on December 20 will determine if the incident will affect Umingan's election period security classification.
Investigation teams have been activated to monitor and track developments in the case.
An incumbent municipal councilor and reelectionist was shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/8/bfar-aquaculturist-shot-dead |
A senior aquaculturist at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Panabo City, Davao del Norte on Saturday, Dec. 7.A report from the Davao del Norte Provincial Police Office (PPO) identified the victim as Karen Diana Candilosas, 42, an assistant director at BFAR National Mariculture Center in Panabo City.Candilosas was inside her car parked in Barangay Cagangohan when the suspects fired shots towards her.The police are investigating the identities of the suspects and the motive behind the incident.Meanwhile, the BFAR regional office in Davao (Region 11) condemned the brazen attack which it said occurred in broad daylight.“This tragic loss has left an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in BFAR, as an organization. We strongly condemn the circumstances surrounding her death and stand in solidarity with her family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the BFAR-11 said.“We are committed to support the pursuit for justice for Ms. Karen and her family. She will always be remembered for her contributions to the fisheries sector, and the organization; as well as the positive impact she has made in the lives of her colleagues and the fisherfolk she has served,” it added.
Two retired police officers were killed while three others, including a vice mayoral aspirant of Malabang, Lanao del Sur, were injured in an ambush at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, the police here said.
The victims, including a vice mayoral candidate, were on board a private Toyota Innova, heading towards Malabang from Marogong town, also in Lanao del Sur, when they were waylaid by still unidentified gunmen about 4 p.m.
Killed in the ambush were Solaiman Alibasa and Hadji Asrap Sandab, retired policemen and residents of Malabang, said Lt. Colonel Jopy Ventura, speaking for the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR).
He identified one of the injured passengers as Ramil Bao, a candidate for vice mayor of Malabang under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Bao’s injured companions were a certain Sanaoray Alibasa and Sarpia Mangayao.
The ambush site was a dirt road in Barangay Paigoay, Marogong, Lanao del Sur.
Police from Marogong and nearby Malabang town rushed the injured victims to the hospital for medication.
Police are looking at “rido” (family feud) as a possible motive for the incident.
A Vice Mayoral candidate and two cops were assassinated by unknown gun men.
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| https://tribune.net.ph/2024/12/09/abra-governor-suspended-vice-governor-face-preventive-suspension |
The Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs (DESLA) of the Office of the President issued an order this week placing both the governor and the suspended vice governor of Abra under preventive suspension.
According to the decision issued by DESLA Atty. Anna Liza G. Logan, Abra Governor Dominic Valera is suspended for 60 days, effective upon receipt of the order. The suspension is in accordance with the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991.
The ruling stems from a complaint filed last year by the spouse of Bucay Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member Juan Palcon, who died from illness. Febes Alzate Palcon filed the complaint after another individual, rather than her, was sworn in as SB member to replace her late husband.
In her complaint, Mrs. Palcon insisted that she should have taken over her husband's position, but the governor installed another person, in violation of the LGC. She also claimed that the person who assumed the position was endorsed by Valera-Bernos.
In the order, the DESLA stated that since the vice governor is already serving an earlier suspension issued by DESLA, "the requirement that her continuance in service could influence or pose a threat to the safety and integrity of the records and other evidence in the instant case is not present, insofar as she is concerned."
Vice Governor Joy Bernos was suspended for 18 months after being found guilty of oppression, abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public official, and disobedience to government policies related to the imposition of a community lockdown that affected hospital services during the pandemic in 2020.
The Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs of the Office of the President issued an order this week placing both the governor and the suspended vice governor of Abra under preventive suspension.
A former policeman was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Sambag 1 here on Sunday night, Dec. 8.
Kenneth Bacalso Yaquit, 40, was caught with 30 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P204,000.
The suspect is a resident of Das Uncronan, Lutopan, Toledo City, Cebu.
According to the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas, Yaquit joined the police organization in 2013 but was dismissed in 2015 for being absent without official leave.
Police said it took a two-week surveillance before the former policeman was cornered.
The suspect was allegedly capable of selling 50 grams of shabu a week, police said.
A former policeman has been arrested for selling drugs.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/11/mpd-hunts-down-suspects-who-killed-barangay-tanod-in-tondo |
The Manila Police District (MPD) is hunting down the five suspects involved in the fatal shooting of a barangay tanod (village watchman) in Tondo, Manila.
The incident occurred in Barangay 68 in Tondo on Friday, Dec. 6, during a drinking spree that turned violent.
According to authorities, the victim, a barangay tanod, was enjoying drinks with five individuals when an altercation transpired.
During the gathering, one of the suspects suddenly pulled out a gun and shot the victim multiple times.
The man who shot the victim stood up along with the other individuals and fled the scene heading in different directions.
Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the shooting.
Meanwhile, the MPD was able to identify the individuals involved in the incident via CCTV and is now tracking them down.
A barangay tanod was shot dead during a drinking session.
