It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Police arrested on Thursday night Surigao del Sur Vice Gov. Librado Navarro and his wife, Maylene, in Bislig City on charges of syndicated estafa in connection with a failed investment scheme.
Police Col. Joseph Boquiren, Surigao del Sur provincial police director, said the warrant for the Navarro couple was served at Sitio San Andres in Barangay Maharlika around 10:30 p.m.
Librado, 64, and Maylene, 47, were charged with two counts of estafa before Regional Trial Court Branch 42 in Medina, Misamis Oriental province. The court did not recommend bail based on an arrest warrant issued on March 14, said Police Lt. Col. Michael Lozada, the police chief of Bislig City, where Librado is running for mayor in the May polls.
Police Maj. Dorothy Tumulak, spokesperson for the Caraga regional police, said the police of Talisayan town in Misamis Oriental, where Maylene is a councilor, reported that many residents complained about unfulfilled investment returns by Demeter Agribusiness Organic Farming, a company owned by the Navarro couple.
The same company has been the subject of complaints by at least 200 residents in Marihatag town, Surigao del Sur, who claimed to have invested some P50 million, an issue that was even featured in the show of television personality Raffy Tulfo in 2021.
Village chief Josefino Pandeling Jr. of Barangay Antipolo in Marihatag, led a protest against Librado for failing to fulfill a committed payout in a “double-your-money” scheme for which his family invested P3 million.
The Vice Governor of Surigao del Sur and his wife have been arrested for estafa and are being held without bail. Seems they were running an investment scam.
Gunmen shot and killed a city official and wounded his police escort on Saturday morning along Sinsuat Avenue here.
Police identified the slain victim as retried police Colonel Rolen Balquin, the city public safety office chief, and the wounded escort as Chief Master Sgt. Arial Gutang, 47, of the local police force.
Initial police investigation showed that Balquin was about to alight from their vehicle around 9 a.m. to check on minimum public health protocols at a newly-opened food establishment here when they were shot by gunmen aboard a separate vehicle along a busy road in Barangay Rosary Heights Mother.
The victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds in their bodies.
A retired police colonel turned city public safety chief and his police escort were assassinated by unknown men or unknown reasons.
Three policemen from Rizal were arrested for allegedly trying to extort money from a man they collared allegedly for violation of a crime related to illegal drugs.
Nabbed were Police Master Sgt. Darlino Casamayor Jr.; Police Corporal William Sayago; and Pat Allen Bey Tendilla, all assigned to the Intelligence/ Drug Enforcement Team, Tanay Municipal Police Station.
Gen. Dionardo Carlos, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the operation that led to the arrest of the three erring cops stemmed from the complaint of 31-year old Aljon Marcelino Indon.
Based on the report, Indon was collared by the suspects on March 17 for alleged violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
While inside the police station, the three cops allegedly asked the complainant of the content of his pocket where he showed them more or less P93,000.
“At this juncture, the suspects allegedly made an arrangement with Indon and due to fear of being charged for violation of RA 9165, he opted to give the money in exchange for his freedom. Indon, however, requested for a small amount of the said money where the suspects, after giving him P23,000, released him,” said Carlos.
Indon then sought the assistance of Tanay Municipal Police Station, who in turn, conducted operation that resulted in the arrest of the suspect. Seized from them were P49.000 cash.
Three cops have been arrested for extortion.
Pasig Vice Mayor Iyo Caruncho Bernardo yesterday filed a cyber libel complaint against Mayor Vico Sotto over an incident in January wherein the local chief executive told Bernardo to do his job first before criticizing the city government’s performance.
Bernardo lodged the complaint before the Pasig prosecutor’s office at around 2 p.m.
He told reporters his complaint is based on Sotto’s pronouncement at a flag-raising ceremony last Jan 10.
In the event, Sotto said Bernardo should stop skipping meetings and should respond to his phone calls and text messages.
For Bernardo, Sotto should not have used the activity for politics and to question his work as the city’s vice mayor.
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto is facing a cybered libel complaint filed by the vice mayor because Sotto criticized his job performance at a flag-raising ceremony.
The Sandiganbayan has convicted a lawyer of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for receiving double compensation 19 years ago in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The anti-graft court sentenced Virgilio Ocaya to up to eight years imprisonment and directed him to return to the PCGG PHP129,600, which he received as double compensation from January to June 2003.
Ocaya worked for the PCGG while concurrently serving as Deputy Administrator for Administration and Legal Affairs of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) from September 2002 to June 30, 2003.
Ocaya received PHP278,388 per annum from the MWSS and as PCGG legal counsel on a full-time basis from 2002 to 2003, had a monthly remuneration of PHP24,000.
“(T)he Constitution and law prohibit dual employment and double compensation. Hence, in view of the such prohibition, the compensation the accused received from the PCGG was unauthorized or without justification,” the decision dated March 18 read.
The accused countered that he accepted employment with the PCGG, “believing in good faith, that his position in the MWSS-RO was not a public office and that he did not receive public funds”.
A lawyer of the Presidential Commission on Good Government has been convicted for receiving double compensation 19 years ago. He was a lawyer for the PCGG and the Deputy Administrator for Administration and Legal Affairs of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office which are both public offices.
A VILLAGE watchman and five other drug suspects were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in the cities of Bacolod and San Carlos, and in Manapla town, Negros Occidental on Saturday, March 19, 2022.
The drug bust also led to the recovery of more than P700,000 worth of suspected shabu.
Joint operatives of the Manapla Municipal Police Station Intelligence Special Drug Enforcement Team (Intel-SDET) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested Rogelio Montelibano Jr. alias "Dadoy" around 7 a.m. at Hacienda Sanghay in Barangay Purisima in the town.
Several sachets of the banned substance weighing about 55 grams valued at P374,000 and the marked money used in the buy-bust were recovered from Montelibano, who is a village watchman.
Authorities also consider him as a high-value target.
A village watchman who was a high-value target has been busted for drugs.
The Philippine Navy said it has relieved an ensign who reportedly issued a death threat against Kabataan Party-list’s national president and first nominee Raoul Manuel on social media
The uniformed services are expected to be apolitical institutions and personnel are governed by strict standards of behavior.
"As an organization that seeks to protect the Filipino people, the Philippine Navy does not condone or tolerate irresponsible behaviors such as this. We take this incident seriously," the Philippine Navy said in a statement on Sunday evening.
Under the Facebook name "DC Sliv," the officer shared a news post on Manuel’s statement on the results of an autopsy on the remains of Chad Booc, a volunteer teacher for Lumad schools whom the military claims was killed in a clash between troops and New People's Army rebels.
The Navy officer captioned the post with: "Susunod ka na (You’re next), Raoul. Bye in advance."
A Navy ensign has been relieved for issuing a death threat to a party-list candidate on Facebook.
Three police officers who were implicated in the purported disappearance of an e-sabong (online cockfighting) "master agent" in San Pablo City, Laguna have been placed under restrictive custody, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Wednesday.
In a radio interview, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said these cops are now under restrictive custody at the headquarters of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-4A (Calabarzon) and are set to face charges in the coming days.
“(So far, the three mentioned during the Senate hearing plus the previous statements we obtained prior to this Senate hearing, we are investigating other angles. They now have a positive identification based on the missing master agent. The other policemen we are investigating are included if we are to ask our investigators because we are still waiting for some reports to confirm their participation),” Fajardo said.
Fajardo also said the police provincial director of Laguna, Col. Rogart Campo, has been relieved after he allegedly received PHP1 million from businessman Atong Ang as revealed during a Senate hearing.
Ang accused Campo of taking part in the supposed conspiracy against him by other e-sabong stakeholders.
At least two police officers, Pat. Roy Navarete and Staff Sgt. Daryl Paghangaan, were identified by some relatives of the e-sabong "master agent" Ricardo Lasco as among those who abducted him in August last year.
Prior to the Senate hearing on the disappearances of over 30 cockfight enthusiasts, Fajardo said the cops have already been relieved from their posts over their alleged involvement in the incidents.
Aside from Navarete and Paghangaan, the PRO-4A also identified master Sgt. Michael Claveria as one of the involved cops.
PRO-4A chief Brig. General Antonio Yarra said he already ordered the relief of the three police personnel from their present assignments and had them transferred to the regional headquarters.
Three police officers alleged to have been involved in the abduction of an e-sabong master agent have been arrested. The provincial director of Laguna has been relieved after it was revealed that he took P1 million from businessman Atong Ang.
The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed the conviction of a police officer on malversation charges over his failure to surrender a service firearm issued to him.
In a four-page resolution dated March 21 written by Associate Justice Tita Marilyn B. Payoyo-Villordon, the appellate court turned down the motion for reconsideration filed by Police Officer 2 (PO2) Emmerson Balosbalos.
Balosbalos had been found guilty in 2017 by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 84 of malversation of public property arising from his failure to turn in his service firearm, an M-16 Elisco rifle with serial number RP 130832, issued to him when he was ordered to do so by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in 2007.
The CA upheld the two-year jail sentence and a fine of PHP20,000 for Balosbalos. He was also slapped with perpetual disqualification from holding any public office.
The unaccounted firearm was discovered following a physical inventory conducted on the assets of the unit
A cop's conviction for not surrendering his service weapon has been upheld.
The Quezon City local government has sacked two cops behind the shooting of 22-year-old student Adrianne Dominique Cruz Castor and the subsequent cover-up in the conduct of the Quezon City Police District's investigation.
In a decision acquired by Philstar.com, the QC People's Law Enforcement Board found Police Cpl. Reymark Rigor and Police SSg. Bryan Busto guilty of grave misconduct after the latter attempted to cover up and minimize the shooting in his succeeding investigation.
The same decision penalizes Police SMS Neleazar Torrijos, Police SSgt. Fernan Concepcion, and Police Cpl. Jimbeam Fernandez with demotion after finding them guilty of grave neglect of duty.
To recall, Castor was on his way home aboard a Grab vehicle along Scout Rallos Extension when a drunk Rigor brandished his weapon at their vehicle. Castor got off to warn the vehicles behind them, at which point Rigor shot the student.
Before the QC PLEB, Rigor argued that his drunkenness that night was a mitigating circumstance that should warrant a lighter penalty. But he did not deny the commission of the crime.
The board ruled that his intoxication and use of government party in the offense was instead an aggravating circumstance.
Castor earlier accused Busto and another cop of downplaying his injury as “daplis” or just a scratch before he underwent surgery. Busto also later admitted to categorizing the incident as “physical injuries” instead of frustrated murder to his supervisors; as a result of his claim, the case was never flagged at the QCPD.
The PLEB found that the slug taken from the student's chest was never taken by Busto for processing. The formal complaint also alleged that he left the hospital before the operation of the victim and without ever speaking to the doctor.
Instead, the board found that "it was Castor himself who surrendered the slug that was recovered from his chest to the [Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit] for it to be checked."
Busto also recovered a bullet shell casing in the crime scene and did not surrender it to the crime lab, instead choosing to keep it in his personal locker. Busto in his answer said that he had "every intention of submitting" the bullet, which he said was evidenced by the fact that he did not destroy it or throw it away.
The PLEB ruled this as a "malicious irregularity," pointing out that the crime laboratory was only on the second floor of QCPD Police Station 10.
"It was clear during the discussion with Busto that he did not substantially follow the procedure as contained in the [Standard Operating Procedure in the Conduct of Crime Scene Investigations] manual. It is held that the act makes him an accessory to the crime of frustrated murder committed by Rigor," the decision reads.
The PLEB also found that Torrijos, Fernandez, and Concepcion, who were all drinking together nearby, "insisted that the reason they failed to respond to the incident was that they were off duty, in civilian clothes, and were drunk."
Police Brig. Gen. Remus Medina, QCPD District Director reportedly found out that the three were aware that a shooting incident happened near Torrijos' house but did not respond.
"The board finds the excuse... unbelievable. As seasoned police officers, it is expected that they should know the sound of a gunshot...a police officer will always be a police officer regardless of time, may he be wearing his uniform or not," the PLEB said.
A drunk cop shoots a man and pleads for leniency claiming his drunkeness is "a mitigating circumstance that should warrant a lighter penalty." Another cop performed a lax investigation which was essentially a cover-up. Three other cops said they did not respond to the incident because they were off duty and drunk when in fact they simply did not want to respond.
