It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/brgy-chief-faces-raps-over-demolition-dispute |
A BARANGAY captain in Davao City is facing charges for allegedly opposing a demolition in Times Beach, Talomo.
Barangay 76-A Bucana Captain Robert Olanolan shared a photo of his mugshot in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, March 12, 2025.
Olanolan said he was charged with usurpation of authority for resisting what he called an illegal demolition in the area. He also alleged that the Nograles family was behind the case against him.
"Wow, how shameless, right? The Nograles are so happy because their councilor is supposedly the new captain, haha. This is your captain—just being sued in Ecoland by Nonie Necesito for fighting against the illegal demolition of the people in Cabacan, Times Beach," he wrote in his Facebook post.
Despite the charges, Olanolan assured his constituents that he remains their barangay captain and claimed that Duterte loyalists are being singled out.
“Don't worry, Kap. Robert Olanolan is still your captain. Your fight is our fight in Barangay 76-A, Bucana. Long live! This is what they do to Duterte loyalists," he wrote.
SunStar Davao reached out to Olanolan for further details, but he has yet to respond as of writing. The paper has also sought statements from the Nograles family and the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), but neither has commented.
In January 2025, Olanolan also criticized the Nograles family over a rice distribution event at Balite Covered Court, which he alleged was poorly managed.
He accused the group of leaving the area unkempt, with garbage and weeds scattered around.
"If you know how to make a mess, you should know how to clean it up. You have no manners, and you're supposed to be professional lawyers. Have some shame," he added.
Olanolan further called for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate the event, questioning whether it constituted vote-buying ahead of the elections. He asserted that Barangay 76-A was not for sale.
A BARANGAY captain in Davao City is facing charges for allegedly opposing a demolition in Times Beach, Talomo.
Two government engineers were gunned down on Friday, March 14, in Kidapawan City and a seven-year-old girl was raped and killed in Butuan City on Saturday, March 15.
Police Lt. Col. Dominador Palgan Jr., Kidapawan police chief, identified the fatalities as Mohammad Mandangan, chief of the Quality Assurance Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways-12 2nd Engineering District, a resident of Marawi City, and Benhur Piang of Malabang, Lanao del Sur.
Their colleague was slightly injured and two others were unhurt.
Investigation said the victims were on board a pickup truck driven by Mandangan on their way to the DPWH district office from a noon prayer when two motorcycle-riding gunmen appeared and fired at them. The fatalities sustained multiple bullet wounds and died.
Two passengers in the back seat jumped off and hid in a gasoline station. Mandangan lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle rammed an electric post.
Police said they have two persons of interest in the killing and assured that they are actively pursuing them.
Police Col. Gilberto Tuzon, Cotabato police director, urged the people to help police catch the gunmen. Tuzon reminded the people to stay alert and immediately report any suspicious activities to the police.
Two government engineers were gunned down on Friday, March 14, in Kidapawan City and a seven-year-old girl was raped and killed in Butuan City on Saturday, March 15.
The Office of the Ombudsman found eight Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) members of Antique province guilty of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct unbecoming of public officers.
The Office of the Ombudsman found eight Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) members of Antique province guilty of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct unbecoming of public officers.Guilty were Provincial Board Members Egidio Elio, Rony Molina, Victor Condez, Alfie Jay Niquia, Plaridel Sanchez IV, Mayella Mae Ladislao, as well as ex-officio members Julius Cezar Tajanlangit of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB-Antique) and Kenneth Dave Gasalao of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK-Antique).
The Ombudsman decision dated March 7, 2025 obtained by the Manila Bulletin on Monday, March 17, meted a penalty of one-year suspension without pay to them.
Approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires, the 18-page decision detailed how they deliberately did not take action on the first supplemental budget requested by Gov. Rhodora “Dodod” Cadiao for fiscal year 2024.
“They were guilty of appropriating zero budget to projects critical to the public welfare of the province of Antique,” wrote Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Leilani Tagulao-Marquez.
The Ombudsman found out that they deliberately neglected their duties by boycotting a June 3, 2024 session while having delaying tactics during two previous sessions held in May 2024.
Part of the P1-billion supplemental budget the Cadiao administration asked was intended for a solar-energy projects for the provincial hospitals as well as installation of solar-powered street lights and home solar systems for residents of far-flung barangays.
According to the Ombudsman, the eight SP members “betrayed public welfare and public interests” of 15,000 households located in 200 far-flung barangays.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/3/17/ombudsman-orders-dilg-to-collect-penalties-from-dismissed-leyte-mayor |
The Office of the Ombudsman has directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to immediately implement the collection of penalties from dismissed Palompon, Leyte Mayor Ramon Oñate.
The penalty is equivalent to Oñate’s salary for six months as mayor.
The Ombudsman order stemmed from the cases filed against Oñate for alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, RA 7160 or the Local Government Code, and RA 9485 and RA 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery Act.
The cases against Oñate and Christopher Montebon, Municipal Planning and Development Officer, were filed by one Mesias Arevalo.
While the other cases were dismissed, the Ombudsman found substantial evidence that Oñate violated Section 21 of RA 11032, resulting in the imposition of a fine equivalent to six months of his salary.
The administrative case against Montebon was dismissed due to lack of substantial evidence.
The Ombudsman pointed out that its order to collect the penalty is immediately executory as filing of a motion for reconsideration or review of petition does not impede its decision.
The Office of the Ombudsman has directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to immediately implement the collection of penalties from dismissed Palompon, Leyte Mayor Ramon Oñate.
A police officer who went viral online is now facing an inciting to sedition complaint over his social media posts in response to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the PNP identified the cop as Patrolman Francis Steve Tallion Fontillas.
The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) filed the inciting to sedition under Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 complaint against Fontillas with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
“This development follows Fontillas’ unauthorized and politically charged social media posts in response to reports of former President's arrest,” the PNP said.
Fontillas has been assigned to the District Personnel and Holding Admin Section since February 20, 2025 but has been absent without official leave (AWOL) since March 6, according to the PNP.
In a post on his Facebook account, Fontanillas questioned the complaint filed against him saying he only expressed his stand.
"Ïnciting to sedition daw 'ýung ginawa ko? Hahaha. Okay lang ba kayo? I only expressed my stand and my principles. Where's our right to freedom of expression now? Kawawa naman ang Pilipinas. Hahaha," he said.
(What I did was inciting to sedition? I only expressed my stand and my principles. Where's our right to freedom of expression now? How pitiful the Philippines is.)
He also posted a copy of his application for leave, saying that on March 5 he filed a leave for 10 days, March 6 to 19, which was approved and signed by their chief administrator.
He added his wife was present when he filed the application for leave.
The PNP stressed its zero tolerance for political bias among its ranks and reminded personnel to remain apolitical and uphold the highest ethical standards in their official duties and personal conduct including their presence on social media.
The QCPD also reminded its personnel to adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and discipline.
“PNP officers shall remain apolitical and non-partisan at all times and we must refrain from posting unauthorized and biased contents in social media and other communication platforms,” the QCPD said.
The PNP vowed Fontillas’ case will be pursued with full transparency and due process, reinforcing its commitment to serving with integrity and impartiality.
PNP chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil reaffirmed the organization's strict adherence to neutrality.
"The PNP is a pillar of law and order, not a platform for personal or political agendas. Let this serve as a warning—any police officer who undermines our core values of integrity, service, and professionalism will face the full force of the law. We will never allow partisan influence to erode public trust in the PNP,” he said.
A police officer who went viral online is now facing an inciting to sedition complaint over his social media posts in response to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine National Police said.
A teacher-in-charge of a public school was arrested after selling P40,800 worth of shabu to anti-drug agents in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat over the weekend.Benjamin Recites III, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-12 director, said a joint PDEA and Police Regional Office-12 team launched the sting operation after receiving reports of the teacher’s drug-peddling activities.Sultan Kudarat Department of Education officials, who requested anonymity, said the detained teacher-in-charge would be facing administrative investigation over the incident.
THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) is investigating an ambush that left a 51-year-old school teacher wounded in broad daylight on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
The victim, a resident of Barangay Ma-a, was driving along Acacia Street, Juna Subdivision, Barangay 76-A, when he was attacked.
Witnesses reported that a metallic gray Nissan Terra was being followed by a black Yamaha NMAX motorcycle with an unidentified plate number. The motorcycle blocked the Nissan Terra’s path, while a silver-gray Toyota Innova (plate number NEN 5272, pending verification) overtook it from the right.
A gunman inside the Innova then rolled down the window and fired at the victim, using what police suspect was a .45 caliber firearm based on the recovered shell casings.
Despite his injuries, the teacher managed to drive to the nearby Central 911 office for help. The suspects fled toward Ateneo High School along McArthur Highway, heading in the direction of Ma-a Road.
Investigators learned that the victim had just attended a seminar by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and was on his way home. He was also scheduled to attend a barangay hearing regarding a ₱6-million estafa case involving an alleged money collection scam in Barangay Ma-a.
The victim is now being treated at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), while authorities continue to track the suspects.
Meanwhile, Police Station 15 (Ecoland) has taken custody of the victim’s vehicle for a trajectory examination, and additional evidence has been secured by the Davao City Forensic Unit.
A school teacher has survived an assassination attempt.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/03/18/2429287/mrt-3-general-manager-sacked-over-escalator-malfunction |
The general manager of the Metro Rail Transit-3 has been dismissed following an escalator malfunction that left at least 10 people injured.
In an interview on Radyo Pilipinas on Tuesday, March 18, Department of Transportation (DOTR) Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that MRT-3 General Manager Oscar Bongon has been relieved of his position.
(This escalator in the MRT that malfunctioned last week, took so long before it was fixed and I do not like the attitude that it was not acted upon immediately and it was like there was a delay.)
Dizon said that his agency addressed the immediate needs of the people, and those working within it needed to be more responsive.
Fixing the escalator should have been done the same day it broke. Dizon said that it took several days to fix the escalator, during which he had to call and follow up with MRT-3 officials to ensure it was repaired.
He said that even the slightest delay in operations could cause great inconvenience to the public.
(There needs to be a slight change in our agencies, especially in the agency that directly affects the daily grind of our citizens. We need people here who act fast.)
Dizon declined to reveal who would replace the MRT-3 general manager, sAYING that it was best to wait for the official papers.
On Monday, March 17, Dizon personally inspected the MRT-3. Photos from the DOTR showed the secretary standing in line and riding the train during rush hour.
Following this inspection, Dizon ordered a one-hour extension of the MRT-3's night operations but did not specify when this would take effect.
The general manager of the Metro Rail Transit-3 has been dismissed following an escalator malfunction that left at least 10 people injured.
Several former officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been convicted by the Sandiganbayan of 41 counts of graft and 41 counts of falsification for "ghost" repairs of the department's vehicles in 2001.
Found guilty were former officer-in-charge assistant director Florendo B. Arias, supply officer IV Napoleon S. Anas, accountant IV Rogelio L. Beray, fiscal controller V Ricardo M. Juan, Jr., supply officer IV Mirofe C. Fronda, project director Nonito F. Fano, and private individuals Janette A. Bugayong and Victoria Maniego-Go.
Each of the accused was meted out a jail term of six to eight years with perpetual disqualification from holding public office for every conviction under Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
They were also sentenced to two years, four months and one day of prision correccional as minimum to 10 years and one day of prision mayor as maximum as well as a fine of P5,000 for each count of estafa through falsification.
For their civil liability, they were directed to jointly and severally pay different amounts for each set of charges to the government, represented by the DPWH -- P18,690, P24,500, P5,000, P24,950, P24,950, P24,950, P24,950, P24,950, P24,850, P24,800, P24,900, P24,950, P24,860, P24,750, P24,950, P24,825, P24,050, P24,550, P24,900, P25,000, P24,550, P24,800, P25,000, P24,900, P24,800, P24,900, P20,600, P24,780, P24,950, P24,800, P24,250, P24,850, P24,950, P24,800, P24,900, P24,950, P25,000, P24,830, P24,950, P20,200, and P24,460.
Fano was acquitted in five sets of graft and falsification charges, while Arias was acquitted in nine sets. Bugayong was cleared of three sets of graft and falsification charges due to the failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The anti-graft court said the accused's collective "deceitful acts" enabled the ghost repairs scheme -- from falsifying job order requests and disbursement vouchers and making it appear that DPWH vehicles underwent repairs and replacement of spare parts even though no such transactions were made.
"They carried the deceit to fruition, so to speak, and knowingly so," the decision stated.
"They signed the disbursement vouchers afflicted with the same defects repeatedly over the course of almost one year, again, sealing their participation in the ghost repairs scheme. As a result of this fraudulent scheme, the government suffered damage equal to the amounts disbursed."
The 122-page decision was written by Seventh Division Chairperson Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta with the concurrence of Associate Justices Zaldy V. Trespeses and Georgina D. Hidalgo.
Several former officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been convicted by the Sandiganbayan of 41 counts of graft and 41 counts of falsification for "ghost" repairs of the department's vehicles in 2001.
A former barangay captain was gunned down in Barangay Patun-an, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, March 18.
Police withheld the name of the 64-year-old victim.
Police Lt. Col. Wilfredo Benoman Jr., Calatrava police chief, said the victim, of Barangay Macasilao, Calatrava, was onboard a passenger jeepney on her way to San Carlos City, Negros Occidental when two unidentified persons shot her in the head.
Benoman said the victim was declared dead in a hospital.
A 19-year-old man sitting beside her was wounded by a stray bullet in the shoulder and recuperating in a hospital.
Recovered from the crime scene were two fired 9mm cartridge cases and a deformed fired bullet.
Benoman said that the victim was barangay captain of Macasilao from 2007 to 2010.
He said that they are looking into land conflict as possible motive in the killing. She was an owner of several pieces of land, including a sugarcane plantation.
A former barangay captain was gunned down in Barangay Patun-an, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, March 18.
A former village chairperson listed as the third most wanted person in Quezon province was arrested in Bulacan, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, NCRPO Director, Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, said the 44-year-old suspect, whose name was withheld, was arrested by the District Police Intelligence and Operations Unit of the Manila Police District (MPD), in collaboration with Unisan Municipal Police Station and the San Miguel, Bulacan police along the Tabang Exit of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) at about 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday.
The suspect, a former chief of Barangay Sampaloc 1, Dasmariñas, Cavite, has an arrest warrant for two counts of statutory rape issued by the Gumaca, Quezon Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 172, with no bail recommended.
Aberin said the operation was the result of relentless intelligence gathering, continuous surveillance, and meticulous coordination between multiple police units.
He said authorities identified the suspect’s whereabouts after weeks of tracking and validating intelligence information.
The suspect is currently detained at the MPD Custodial Facility pending the return of the warrant to the court and the issuance of a commitment order.
A former village chairperson listed as the third most wanted person in Quezon province was arrested in Bulacan, the National Capital Region Police Office said on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said it filed multiple criminal charges against a public school teacher in Tarlac City accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials and committing acts of lasciviousness against two boys.
In a 15-page resolution signed by Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas and Prosecution Attorney Criselda Teoxon-Yanga, the DOJ found strong prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction to indict Leoncio Benigno Thiem Tolentino.
Specifically, Tolentino was charged with online sexual exploitation of children and lascivious conduct under Republic Act (RA) Nos. 11930 and 7610, respectively; RA No. 9775 in relation to RA No. 10175; and the Revised Penal Code.
“The fear instilled in a 6-year-old child, who viewed respondent Tolentino as a trusted authority figure at school, was sufficient to compel compliance. This manipulation of power dynamics, coupled with the victim’s fear, underscores the coercive nature of respondent Tolentino’s actions and the vulnerability of the minor in the face of such authority,” the DOJ prosecutors said.
The case stemmed from an investigation that started in June 2024 when the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a US-based organization that monitors online platforms for child sexual abuse materials (CSAMs).
According to the NCMEC report, an individual using the email benleigh24@gmail.com was suspected of producing, possessing, and distributing CSAMs via Google Drive.
Authorities later identified the account holder as Tolentino, also known as “Leo” or “Benleigh Thiem,” a public school teacher in Tarlac City.
The police tracked Tolentino’s online activities and IP addresses and discovered folders in his Google Drive containing 46 video files of child sexual abuse materials, specifically involving young boys.
Further investigation revealed his use of different digital devices, including smartphones, flash drives and a laptop for storing and distributing CSAMs.The victims, who were 13 and 6 years old at the time of the alleged abuse in 2017 and 2019, said the respondent used his position of authority as a teacher and the promise of money or food to make them comply with his demands.
One of them said he was sexually abused by Tolentino, his former math teacher, on several occasions while the other said the accused, though not his direct teacher, frequently called him to his office where inappropriate touching and kissing happened.
The Department of Justice on Wednesday said it filed multiple criminal charges against a public school teacher in Tarlac City accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials and committing acts of lasciviousness against two boys.
