Coronavirus Lockdown: Face Masks Optional at NAIA, 69% Unvaccinated Unwilling to Get Shot, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.

Travelers no longer have to wear face masks inside the NAIA. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1743198/miaa-directive-wearing-of-face-mask-now-optional-at-naia

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced on Wednesday that wearing a face mask at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) is now optional.

According to MIAA in an advisory, the optional use of face-mask is following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 7, which allowed the voluntary use of face masks in indoor and outdoor settings.

“The wearing of face masks at the Naia terminals is now optional in accordance with Executive Order No. 7 (s. 2022),” the MIAA said.

“Face masks are still required to be worn inside the aircraft and airside passenger vehicles,” it added.

The announcement came more than a week after the Department of Tourism eased up its COVID-19 health directives in tourism establishments, no longer requiring the wearing face masks and vaccination cards.

However, it can be recalled that despite the “plateauing” number of COVID-19 infections in the country, the Department of Health said that it continues to keep a close eye on COVID-19 cases, especially severe or severe or critical infections, as well as deaths.

A bit late aren't they? Executive Order 7 was issued on October 28th, 2022. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/03/17/2252302/sws-69-95m-unvaccinated-filipinos-unwilling-get-covid-19-shot

A survey conducted in December 2022 by private pollster Social Weather Stations revealed that 69% of the estimated 9.5 million adult Filipinos who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 still refuse to get the shot.

Only 12% of unvaccinated adults are willing to get the vaccine, some 50 million to up to over 60 million doses of which are expiring this month, according to testimony by the Department of Health during a Senate hearing last week.

The SWS said 57% of adults or 41.14 million are fully vaccinated, while 6% or 4.4 million have only received the first dose of the shot. Of them, 44% said they are unwilling to get a booster dose, while 32% said they are fine with getting it.

The pollster said 17% of adults or 12.4 million have received their third shot or the first booster, while 6% or 4.3 million got the fourth dose or the second booster. Of those who have received their first booster, 55% said they are willing to get another shot, while 32% said they are unwilling.

The SWS conducted the survey through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above. It did not say whether their survey staff asked for proof of vaccination during the interviews.

Looks like their minds are made up. 

Church has been back in session for months now but it appears some of the faithful prefer to watch the livestream.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197603

The Archdiocese of Manila called on the faithful to return to the churches and join in the holy celebration, especially every Sunday.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula also urged parishes to focus the catechism on the importance of physical attendance at the celebration of the Eucharist.

"The constant catechesis on the necessity of our faithful to return to our churches for the Sunday Eucharist should be explained in our homilies and in our catechesis," he said in a circular issued on Friday.

The archbishop also encouraged limiting the live-streaming of Masses, especially on Sundays, to encourage the faithful to go to the churches.

Advincula has reminded the servants of the church that the prayer of the “Act of Spiritual Communion” is only for those who participated in the online mass and not for the community inside the church.

The guidelines also include maintaining a safety protocol within the churches to ensure the health safety of the faithful, especially the eucharistic ministers who will share the Holy Communion.

In October last year, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) enjoined the faithful to physically attend Mass in parishes at the same time as the government relaxed the rules related to the pandemic.

Churches were closed to the public for almost three years to prevent large-scale gatherings as a measure against the spread of the virus.

At the same time, Advincula has allowed the placing of holy water on the doors of the church that can be used by the faithful.

"The holy water font, which has been emptied during the pandemic, can now be used after the Easter Vigil," he said.

It's hard to break bad habits. Perhaps the Church should have stood up to the government and not acquiesced in shutting down during the pandemic. 

Another festival has made a come back. This time it's the strawberry festival in Benguet. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1744632/in-benguet-strawberry-fest-makes-sweet-comeback

Strawberries again took the spotlight in this Benguet provincial capital with the resumption of the in-person festival that has helped turn this vegetable-growing town into a distinct tourist destination.

“We once had guests who announced to their friends that they were in Baguio picking strawberries,” said Mayor Romeo Salda on Friday during the main program of this year’s Strawberry Festival, which is being restaged with parades since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in 2020.

He said the tourists’ account happened during the term of the late Mayor Nestor Fongwan, who quickly informed the visitors that “they were no longer in Baguio” and had actually crossed to La Trinidad Valley.

La Trinidad and the rest of Benguet, Salda said, are producing the strawberries, flowers, and vegetables that tourists buy in Baguio.

It's another sign that everything is back to normal.

The OCTA says the nationwide COVID-19 positivity rate has decreased to 3.3%

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1745123/nationwide-covid-19-positivity-rate-slightly-decreases-to-3-3-octa-research

The COVID-19 positivity rate nationwide slightly went down to 3.3 percent, according to Octa Research fellow Guido David on Sunday.

Based on daily numbers posted by David, it can be noted that the positivity rate nationwide progressively rose from March 10 at 2.6 percent to 3.4 percent on March 17, before decreasing to the latest number.

The latest rate reflects the 169 fresh infections recorded on Saturday, with active cases currently at 9,270 and deaths at 66,265, based on the Department of Health’s (DOH) online COVID-19 tracker.

On the other hand the DOH says new cases are up by 19%. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197800

The country’s daily average of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases increased by 19 percent from March 15 to 19, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Monday.

Daily infections increased to 167 from 140 infections on March 5 to 12.

The DOH also reported 1,171 new cases and 63 verified deaths in the recent week.

To date, the country has logged over 4.08 million coronavirus cases and more than 66,272 fatalities.

During the same week, the tally of severe and critical infections went up to 368 from the previous 351.

Out of a nation of 110 million people these numbers remain low and practically insignificant. 

Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap Disrespects Blood Compact Commemoration by Carrying Around Her Mobile Phone

Thursday March 16th, 2023 marks the 458th year of the blood compact made between the natives of Bohol and Miguel de Legazpi.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/493629/458th-year-of-the-blood-compact-remembering-friendship-and-unity

Boholanos on Thursday, March 16, 2023, commemorated the 458th year of the blood compact, which marked the celebration of friendship and unity between the natives led by Datu Sikatuna and the Spaniards led by General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Mayor Jane Yap said that the commemoration of the historic event “is a timely reminder for us that friendship and unity can be forged despite differences in languages, race and religion.”

“The blood compact monument is a testament of this alliance, and forms part of our heritage and character as Boholanos,” Yap said in her message.

“We are doing this every year to ensure that many generations that will come after us will also experience the pride and happiness that comes with being Boholanos, whose ancestors were trailblazers in forging the first international treaty of friendship,” Yap said in a program that was held at the city’s Friendship Park late on Thursday afternoon.

The gathering was also held to mark the official start of the Saulog sa Tagbilaran 2023 celebration.

Ahead of the program, a wreath laying ceremony was held at the Blood Compact Shrine in Barangay Bool.

That sounds like a rather big deal. It sounds very important. So why is the mayor walking around clutching her cell phone like she's expecting a call any minute? 

Even in the the group photo she cannot put it down!

Now. you might say, "It's just a phone, who cares?" Well, it's these little details that matter all the more. Look how she dolled herself up in a terno pantsuit to look her best. She knows image matters that the mayor of all people cannot show up to an important ceremony as if it's any ordinary day. So why grip onto that phone? Is there no one who could be trusted to hold it? Are there no pockets in her pants? If someone  had called or texted during the ceremony would she have been so brazen as to respond?

I haven't seen anyone else call out Mayor Jane Yap yet but I am. How could I not?  It's not hard to miss. Her cell phone stands out like a sore thumb. 

Insurgency: Peacemakers

President Marcos say the AFP must take the role of peacemakers vs the insurgency as the approach to fighting the NPA has changed. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197588

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday called on the military to be “peacemakers” in the country’s fight against communist insurgents, citing how his administration has moved away from the old anti-insurgency approach.

Speaking before the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) 9th Infantry "Spear" Division in Camarines Sur, Marcos recognized the role of the military as “warfighters” who put pressure on the enemies of the state.

He, however, said they must also take on the role of “peacemakers” who give communist insurgents a chance to return to the fold of the law.

“…Now, we are asking you to be peacemakers because we have changed our approach to the communist, terrorist groups that we have been encountering,” Marcos said.

“We are now not only presenting them with a military force, we are presenting them with other options. We are presenting them with a life after their life as rebels,” he added.

Marcos attributed the gains in ridding communist terror groups to the government’s “whole-of-nation” approach to resolving armed conflict.

The whole-of-nation approach aims to address the root causes of the communist insurgency and provide developments in conflict-affected areas.

“Although they technically have not abandoned the concept of armed struggle, I think efforts of those dissidents had been redirected in another way. And that’s why your role as the Philippine military continues to be as warfighters, but now there is the additional mission that we are asking of you to be peacemakers,” he said.

For some life after being a rebel means being a chicken farmer but for others it means being part of a private armed group. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197477

The Special Joint Task Force Negros said Wednesday that the slain suspect in the March 4 killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight others was a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The slain suspect was identified as Arnil Labradilla of Sitio Awang, Barangay Atotes in Bindoy town, Negros Oriental.

Labradilla was identified based on revelations by other suspects apprehended during the pursuit operations by military and police personnel hours after the attack, Maj. Cenon Pancito III, task force spokesperson, told the Philippine News Agency.

He was killed after he allegedly resisted arrest and engaged in a shootout with pursuing troops hours after at least 10 gunmen barged into the residential compound of Degamo in Pamplona town and shot the governor including several people who were there to seek assistance.

So, how can the people be sure that ex-rebels won't go back to their old ways? By getting their families invovled in rehabilitating them. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197511

The city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar province and the Philippine Army urged families of rebels to help the government convince their relatives to abandon the communist ideology.

Twenty three individuals from Borongan and other towns in Eastern Samar met with local government and Army officials for a dialogue on Wednesday at the Philippine Army headquarters in Lalawigan village in Borongan City.

They met with Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda, Army 801st Brigade commander Brig. Gen. Lenart Lelina, and 78th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Allan Tria.

The dialogue with a theme, “Oryentasyon Para hin nga Lokal nga Iristorya ngan Negosasyon", aimed at asking family members to help the government in convincing their rebel relatives to yield to surrender to the folds of law and abandon the communist group.

Agda, in a statement, said that it is essential to hold a dialogue with the relatives of the rebels so the government would have a clear roadmap on helping rebels to have life in a normal community.

"If you used to think that the government had neglected you, now there is no reason for you not to turn back to the government. There are programs intended for you and your family that have gone astray. Let's be thankful for our armies and to our government for focusing on serving and working hard to end the insurgency," Agda said.

Among the local government's plan is the provision of housing site, wherein former rebels will have a community of their own, engage in livelihood activities such as farming.

Lelina assured the 23 families that the government would never stop and in pleading and asking their help to convince their relatives to surrender.

As of now there has been no information released as to when or where Arnil Labradilla surrendered or how he ended up working for a private army. One would think a watchful eye is being kept on  all former rebels but that seems to not be the case. 

The AFP has released their numbers for the first 9 days in March.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197206

The operations conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) across the country from March 1 to 9 have resulted in the neutralization of 53 communist rebels and terrorist group members.

In a statement on Sunday, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor said the figure includes 26 New People's Army (NPA) insurgents, 22 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists and five members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

In the same period, 46 NPA supporters also withdrew their support from the communist movement.

Baclor said the military has also recorded the surrender and seizure of 66 high-powered firearms, four anti-personnel mines, and various explosives and ammunition in the same period.

"The AFP continues to observe an upward trend in the surrender of regular members and supporters of terrorist groups in the country. It may be attributed to the non-stop intelligence-based focused military operations partnered with various peace initiatives by civilian stakeholders," Baclor said.

In fact here are 6 more Abu Sayyaf fighters surrendering in front of bags of rice saying they want to spend time with their families. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197641

Six Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits have surrendered to authorities as they wish to avail of the government programs for returnees and to live peacefully together with their families, military officials said Friday.

The bandits surrendered to Lt. Col. Edward Viteño, the Army's 32nd Infantry Battalion (IB) commander, on Wednesday at Barangay Bonbon in Patikul town, Sulu province.

They turned over four high-powered firearms consisting of an M-16 Armalite rifle, an M1 Garand rifle, a Carbine rifle, and an M-203 grenade launched with ammunition.

Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, the Army's 11th Infantry Division commander, said they are preparing the documents to enroll the ASG surrenderers in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and the Project Tulong ng Gobyernong Nagmamalasakit (TUGON).

Project TUGON is a program under Ministry of the Interior and Local Government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Patrimonio said the 32IB provided initial financial and food assistance to the ASG surrenderers.

The surrender of the six brought to 57 the total number of ASG members who surrendered to the government since January in Sulu.

Fifty-one ASG members surrendered the past two months in the towns of Patikul and Indanan.

Those bags of rice won't last forever. And who's to say theses enemies of the state won't go back to fighting for an independent Mindanao which is the goal of Abu Sayyaf as well as the MILF who now runs the BARMM? These six are part of the terrorists neutralized during March 10th to the 16th.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/19/afp-43-reds-asg-bif-fs-neutralized-in-week-long-military-ops

A total of 43 suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFFs) were either killed, arrested, or surrendered to the military and police during week-long operations in different parts of the country.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted week-long focused military operations nationwide that resulted in the “neutralization” of 43 alleged communist rebels, Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFFs), a military official disclosed Sunday, March 19.

The operations held by different military and police units from March 10 to 16 ended with the death, arrest, and surrender of 29 alleged communist rebels, seven ASG members, and seven BIFFs, said Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office.

“The AFP’s momentum against different threat groups [is] expected to accelerate as field units intensify their focused-military operations, [complemented] by peace and development efforts in various parts of the country,” Baclor said.

But the fight still goes on. Literally. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1744821/npa-rebel-slain-firearms-seized-in-cagayan-province-clash

An alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebel was killed and three high-powered guns were seized in a clash Friday, March 17, with government soldiers in Gattaran, Cagayan province.

Army Major Rigor Pamittan, 5th Infantry Division public affairs chief and spokesperson, said soldiers found the still-unidentified male rebel after a gunfight between the 77th Infantry Battalion and the 20-member NPA belonging to the Cagayan-Isabela Provincial Committee.

After getting information about the rebels’ presence, the soldiers trooped to the Tanglangan village and were later backed by the 52nd Division Reconnaissance Company when a gunbattle lasting for an hour and 30 minutes, broke out.

The firefight ended when the rebels withdrew, leaving their dead comrade behind. The Army took the body to a local funeral parlor as they and the local police worked together to identify him.

Found at the clash site were a K3 Squad automatic rifle, an M-653 assault rifle, an R4 assault rifle, three rifle grenades, three improvised explosive devices, 14 blasting caps, two rolls of detonating cord, a detonator, 69 rounds of caliber 45 ammunition, 376 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 150 rounds of Armalite link ammunition, three bandoliers and other personal items.

At the other end of Luzon in Quezon Province ten towns have been declared insurgency free.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1741606/10-quezon-towns-now-npa-free

Ten out of the forty-one municipalities in Quezon province have been declared free from the clutches of the New People’s Army (NPA), police reported Saturday, March 11.

Quezon police chief, Colonel Ledon Monte, in a report said the town of Real in the northern part of the province was the latest municipality with a “Stable Internal Peace and Security” (SIPS) or insurgency-free status.

Monte said the declaration meant that local government projects and programs “have reached the phase ready for investment and development having zero incidents of terroristic activities by the NPA.”

In his report, Monte quoted Real Mayor Diana Abigail Diestro-Aquino as she thanked the “gallant and dedicated (government) forces, the partner government agencies and the residents of the municipality for working so hard to achieve our shared dream of safe, secured and communist-free environment.”

10 out of 41 is 24%.  That means 76% of the municipalities in Quezon are still in "the clutched of the New People's Army. Sounds like they are still very relevant and dangerous in Quezon. 

Official Government Open Burn Pit

Did you know that LGUs in the Philippines do not have access to official or appropriate incineration facilities?  Take a look at this story. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194896

An estimated PHP1.4 million worth of undocumented table eggs from Bantayan Island, Cebu were confiscated and burned by quarantine personnel upon arrival at Bredco port here earlier this week, the City Veterinary Office (CVO) confirmed on Friday.

The shipment of 240,000 pieces or 8,000 trays of eggs arrived in this city on Jan. 5, records showed.

“The permit of the shipper has already expired and no other pertinent documents were also presented,” Dr. Maria Agueda de la Torre, city veterinarian, said in a statement.

The shipping permit is being issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry-National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division (BAI-NVQSD).

Last December, the Negros Occidental provincial government and the city government have jointly prohibited the entry of live birds and poultry products such as meat and eggs from areas affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, particularly Luzon, Mindanao, and the neighboring islands of Panay and Guimaras.

Negros Occidental has a PHP8-billion poultry industry and is among the top poultry-producing provinces in the country.

However, Bantayan is the province’s traditional supplier of table eggs, with some 7.4 million eggs even brought in from the neighboring island in December, records of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) earlier showed.

As part of the enforcement operations on the poultry ban, composite teams from the PVO, CVO, Department of Agriculture, and BAI-VQS Western Visayas (Region 6) are being deployed in the city’s major ports to prevent the entry of prohibited and undocumented poultry products.

In Western Visayas, the ban covers the Panay Island provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique and Aklan.

Exemptions are allowed for raw poultry meat, both processed and unprocessed; day-old chicks and hatching eggs, including broiler, layer, and breeder; and embryonated eggs, popularly known as “balut.”

These commodities will be allowed entry regardless of shipping origin subject to compliance with requirements.

The gist is that eggs were imported illegally and were disposed but look at the picture!! Instead of properly disposing of these eggs, which could have various pathogens, in a proper incinerator they are being burned in the dirt outside! They were then buried.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1953192/bacolod/local-news/victorias-mayor-expresses-dismay-after-seized-8000-trays-of-eggs-worth-p14m-destroyed

VICTORIAS City Mayor Javi Benitez expressed dismay after the confiscated 8,000 trays of eggs worth P1.4 million at Bredco Port in Bacolod City on February 5 were destroyed.

City Veterinarian Ma. Agueda dela Torre said Friday the confiscated eggs were transported from Bantayan, Cebu, to the Bredco Port.

She said the driver of the truck failed to present pertinent documents to transport the eggs, adding that the confiscated items were burned and buried at the Bredco Port grounds.

Dela Torre said this is in compliance with the joint executive order of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental that safeguards the province from avian influenza.

Not only is open burning illegal and unhealthy, THE STINK!, but it could be that some viruses survive to make their revenge. 

This is just another Philippine fail but it does not stop here because when it comes to medical waste and confiscated drugs it appears that the Philippines does not have proper incineration facilities anywhere in the nation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1551204/pandemic-sheds-light-on-medical-waste-disposal-woes

Data from the DENR showed that as of June 30, 2021, the total generated health care waste in the Philippines has reached 634,000,687.73 metric tons. The department also emphasized the country’s lack of treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facilities, which are requirements in handling the mountain of medical wastes being generated every day.

“Our TSD facilities are not enough to cater to the health care waste generated nationwide,” said Visminda Osorio, DENR-Environmental Management Bureau assistant director, in September last year.

Osorio said there are currently only 10 TSDs capable of treating medical wastes in eight regions—Central Luzon, NCR, Calabarzon, Ilocos Region, Bicol Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

“Right now, what we are doing is those health care waste facilities are advised to do the initial disinfection prior to disposal, and part of the regions that have no TSD facility, they do it through safe burial or concrete vaulting within the premises,” she added.

Instances of improperly discarded medical wastes had been around even before the pandemic.

In 2019, authorities discovered medical wastes like used syringes, kidney trays, chemical bottles, tubes containing blood samples, and several gloves near the shores of Barangay Ibo in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu province.

The DENR in Central Visayas had to scour the seas around Mactan Island for more hospital wastes.

A year before, medical wastes—syringes, dextrose bottles, vials and biological waste—were found floating on a creek at Barangay Taloy Sur in Tuba town, Benguet province.

Tossing medical waste into the ocean is not just gross it is unconscionable. 

Take a look at what one town did to stop the spread of African Swine Fever. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197470

More than 200 kilos of frozen and other pork by-products have been confiscated from public markets in this capital and nearby Valencia town of Negros Oriental province amid tightened measures to prevent the entry of the African swine fever (ASF).

Dr. Alfonso Tundag, quarantine officer of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) here, on Wednesday said the confiscation on Tuesday was just the beginning of similar activities to ensure that the province will remain ASF-free.

Joint teams from the BAI, provincial veterinary office, and local government unit (LGU) took down from the shelves and confiscated “unauthorized” frozen and processed products like longganiza, chorizo, hotdogs, and siomai, manufactured on Feb. 8 or earlier.

By this, he meant those that did not have labels, product and manufacturer information, and list of ingredients, with most of them coming from Cebu province.

The confiscated items were treated with chemicals and buried.

Isn't that great? They buried allegedly tainted meat and treated it with chemicals before covering it with dirt. Now the sound is poisoned. And who knows how that will affect the water table. The fact is local governments need access to proper incineration facilities. If not then there will continue to be dire environmental consequences as in the two examples above. 

Retards in the Government 301

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.

  

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1740833/cotabato-city-mayors-staff-slain-in-maguindanao-del-norte-gun-attack

A lone gunman shot dead on Thursday night a staff member of Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Bruce Matabalao as he was walking home in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte.

Major Regie Albellera, Datu Odin Sinsuat town police chief, identified the victim as Faizal Malagiok, 40, more known as “Popeye,” an office staff of Matabalao, and a resident of SPDA subdivision, Barangay Semba, Datu Odin Sinsuat.

“He died on the spot from about five gunshot wounds in the head and body,” said Albellera of the shooting that took place at 7 p.m.

“We are still facing a blank wall as to the motive and identity of the lone attacker,” he added.

Albellera said Malagiok, a singing artist, was walking along a poorly lit alley leading to his boarding house when a lone gunman opened fire.

Quoting witnesses, Albellera said the gunman fled on board a motorbike.

Matabalao was saddened by the news and called for a speedy probe into Malagiok’s death.

“Justice for Popeye,” Matabalao said in a social media post, describing Malagiok as “a reliable staff at the office of the city mayor and a good friend.”

A staff member of the Mayor of Cotabato City has been assassinated. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197037

A policeman and three alleged contract killers yielded some PHP306,000 worth of illegal drugs and firearms after being separately arrested in this city, a top police official bared Thursday.

Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, said the three alleged contract killers were arrested by joint police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency personnel in an anti-drug operation around 9:15 a.m. Thursday in Barangay Cabatangan.

Lorenzo identified them as Jonathan Espina, Rodel Julian, and Dexter Herrera. Another cohort, Yamato Francisco, managed to escape.

Seized from the suspects were some 15 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP102,000, a .45-caliber pistol, a .38-caliber revolver, a .45-caliber replica, and other pieces of evidence.

Two of the suspects, Julian and Francisco, were involved in two recent shooting incidents in Barangays San Roque and Talisayan here, Lorenzo said.

Meanwhile, Master Sergeant Marlon Demaisip was arrested Thursday afternoon at the office of the Special Investigation Unit-Criminal Investigation and Detection Management Unit (SIU-CIDMU) of ZCPO.

Demaisip, 40, was arrested while in possession of a sling bag containing some 30 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP204,000.

Lorenzo said Demaisip was ordered to report to the SIU-CIDMU to shed light as the three suspects arrested in the buy-bust operation in Barangay Cabatangan pinpointed him as the group’s alleged mastermind.

Also seized from Demaisip were his service sidearm, two lighters, and other pieces of evidence.

Demaisip is currently assigned to the ZCPO Station 7 anti-illegal drug enforcement team.

An anti-drug cop has been busted for drugs and tagged as the mastermind of a criminal group.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197051

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has charged a village chief in this city and two others in Kabankalan City, both in Negros Occidental province, for alleged involvement in the illegal operation of the Small Town Lottery (STL).

The filing of criminal charges against Noli Villarosa, barangay chair of Tangub here, as well as Joel Alibango of Barangay 5 and Franz Leonard Siguero of Barangay 6 in the southern city, before the Kabankalan City Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday was confirmed by NBI-Bacolod agent-in-charge Renoir Baldovino.

Villarosa immediately denied the charges. "I have no involvement in illegal gambling. I'm willing to be investigated," he told reporters in a telephone interview.

Baldovino said the investigation showed that in Kabankalan, Villarosa is the "financier" while Alibango and Siguero are the "protectors."

Also charged was an alias "Ma'am" or "Jane Joe", tagged as the "manager."

Villarosa said he cannot be a financier since he does not have the money, adding that it should be proven that he is receiving bet money from the illegal STL operations.

Asked for his reaction on Thursday, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Villarosa's alleged links to illegal gambling surprised him.

"I'm surprised since I have no reports towards that. Probably the NBI has a basis of what they are doing," he said.

With the charges filed against Villarosa, the village chief will be given the chance to clear his name and defend himself from the accusations in a proper forum, the mayor added.

Baldovino said the criminal charges filed against the four respondents are for violation of Presidential Decree 1602 as amended by Republic Act 9287, which penalizes persons involved in illegal numbers games.

He said the charges are supported by the testimonies of the village watchman and the bet collectors arrested during an entrapment operation on Feb. 15 in Kabankalan City.

A local official has been charged with operating an illegal gambling game. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1741291/south-cotabato-town-councilor-arrested-for-alleged-rape

Police arrested in General Santos City on Friday morning a municipal councilor of Tantangan, South Cotabato who is facing rape and sexual abuse charges.

Tantangan Vice Mayor Cesar Dasilao told DXOM Radyo Bida-Koronadal that councilor June Seneca, 60, did not resist arrest when law enforcers presented him a warrant for his arrest in Barangay Bula, General Santos City.

Dasilao said Seneca has not been attending the town council’s regular sessions, special sessions and other legislative activities since January 16.

After learning that a warrant had been issued against him, Seneca, who is on his  third term as municipal councilor, went into hiding.

Seneca served three terms as chairman of Barangay Poblacion before getitng elected to the town council.

The court has recommended no bail for the local official.

A town councilor has been arrested on rape charges. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1741398/p102000-shabu-seized-village-watchman-3-others-nabbed-in-camarines-sur-alleged-drug-den

Anti-narcotics operatives arrested four suspected drug personalities, including a barangay tanod (village watchman), and recovered P102,000 worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) in a buy-bust operation in Caramoan town in Camarines Sur province on Saturday morning, March 11.

Mark Anthony Viray, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Camarines Sur, said in a report that Jose Fernan Llagas, 33; Gesel Angeles, 23; Cyrus Kim Hernandez; 30; and Richard Dianela, 47, were arrested in Barangay (village) Orocosoc at around 10:05 a.m.

Dianela, the village watchman of Barangay 4 in Garchitorena town, was a visitor at the alleged drug den operated by Llagas.

Viray told the Inquirer in a chat message that Llagas was identified as the supplier of illegal drugs in the said town and to some tourists in various beach resorts.

Recovered were five sachets or 15 grams of shabu, five transparent plastic sachets with traces of illegal drugs, aluminum foils with a residue of shabu, and other drug tools.

The suspects were facing charges of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

A village watchman has been arrested on drug charges.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1742298/cop-found-guilty-of-2-teenagers-killing-in-2017-drug-war

In the second criminal conviction of law enforcers for drug war killings during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, a dismissed Caloocan policeman was convicted on Monday for the murders of teenagers Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman in 2017 and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

“After careful examination and perusal of the several pieces of evidence presented as well as the testimonies of all parties, this court finds accused [former Police Officer 1] Jefrey Sumbo Perez guilty [beyond reasonable doubt]…,” Judge Romana Lindayag del Rosario of the Navotas Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 287 said in her 80-page decision.

The court ruled that Perez “intentionally killed” the two teenagers based on medical findings that showed Arnaiz had five bullet wounds while De Guzman was stabbed 28 times.

It sentenced him to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua, or 40 years in jail without eligibility for parole. On top of this, he was ordered to pay the kin of each victim P100,000 for civil indemnities, P200,000 for moral and exemplary damages, and P45,000 for actual damages.

A former police officer has been found guilty of murdering two teenagers.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197254

Criminal charges were filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) Monday against police officers who allegedly killed or witnessed the death of three young men in Sultan Kudarat province in December last year.

Lawyer Ronald Halilid Torres said evidence suggest that at least one of the victims was kneeling when he was shot.

Murder, planting of evidence, falsification of documents, grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and irregularity in the performance of duty were slapped against Lambayong Municipal Police Station chief, Maj. Jenahmeel Toñacao, and seven others.

The co-accused are Senior Master Sgt. Syril Mahaddi, Cpl. Elpedio Garlit, Cpl. Joffrey Apalla, Pat. Nicol Dion Toreja, Pat. Basser Mako, Pat. Mario Rombaoa Jr. and Pat. Roldan Claveria.

The complainants thanked the National Bureau of Investigation for pursuing the cases.

Police claimed it was a shootout after Samanudin Ali, 19; Horton Ansa Jr., 20; and Arsad Ansa, 18, who were on a motorcycle, escaped a checkpoint.

“Based on the documents that we have, they were shot. We have a post mortem report, we have an autopsy, we have ballistic reports. So we have complete documents showing their misdeeds,” Torres said in a media briefing outside the DOJ office in Manila, in disputing the police version.

8 cops have been charged with murdering 3 students. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197315

Policemen have arrested a municipal councilor wanted for violation of anti-terror law during a law enforcement operation at the Cotabato airport in Maguindanao del Norte province Monday afternoon.

Abdulwadod Sangki, a member of the Ampatuan town council in Maguindanao del Sur province, was served with an arrest warrant for violation of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-terrorism Act of 2020 as he was about to disembark from the plane that landed past 1 p.m. at the Cotabato airport.

Sangki, 27, did not resist arrest, according to Brig. Gen. John Guyguyon, police regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Sangki was the town’s most wanted man and also the fourth most wanted at the regional level, Guyguyon said.

“Subject wanted person was allegedly involved in the bombing incident during the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections at the Datu Abdullah Sangki Elementary School, Barangay Poblacion, Ampatuan, Maguindanao,” the police official said in a statement.

Sangki is the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation and sits as an ex-officio member of the Ampatuan town council. He had just attended the 11th Councilors League 2023 National Convention held at World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Sangki is detained at the detention facility of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-BARMM in Cotabato City.

A town councilor has been arrested for bombing a school. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1742756/village-chairman-wife-dead-in-cebu-town-shooting

A barangay captain and his wife were shot dead by two motorcycle-riding assailants along the national highway of Asturias town, Cebu on Tuesday.

Manguiao barangay captain Mario Delfin Tundag was riding a motorcycle with his wife Edna when two persons on board another motorcycle fired at them.

Police said the still unidentified assailants may have been trailing the couple and got the chance to fire on them at Barangay Poblacion.

In his report, Asturias town police chief Major Alden Zambrano said that the Tundag couple came from neighboring Balamban town and were on their way home to Manguiao in Asturias.

After the shooting of the couple, the two suspects immediately fled towards Balamban.

Zambrano told reporters that the shooting could have been political in nature though they were still looking at other possible angles.

The investigators are now checking who are the political opponents of barangay captain Tundag.

Footage of a closed-circuit television secured by the police showed that the suspects were wearing black helmets and white long sleeve shirts.

A hot pursuit operation was already launched by the police following the incident.

Another barangay captain has been assassinated. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1743036/maguindanao-del-sur-village-exec-slain-in-gun-attack

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a village chairperson of nearby Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Colonel Ruel Sermese, Maguindanao police director, identified the victim as Hadji Basit Zangkala, village chairman of Barangay Labu-Labu 2.

Quoting a report from Shariff Aguak municipal police office, Sermese said Zangkala was sitting inside his car parked beside the highway while waiting for his wife who was buying rice at a roadside store.

Two men on a motorbike approached the victim’s car at past 5 p.m. and opened fire using a caliber .45 pistol.

Major Haron Macabanding, Shariff Aguak town police chief, said responding police and civilians rushed the victim to the provincial hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police found seven empty shells for a caliber .45 pistol.

Sermese on Wednesday ordered the creation of a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to speed up the probe.

He said police are still clueless as to the identities and mastermind behind the killing of Zangkala.

Another village chairman has been assassinated. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/03/15/2251908/rep-teves-2-sons-face-criminal-raps-over-loose-firearms-explosives

The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has filed criminal complaints against Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. and his two sons over loose firearms seized in the house of the lawmaker.

PNP Col. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson of the agency, said in a streamed press conference that the complaint was filed before the Department of Justice on Wednesday afternoon.

Fajardo said the complaints are for illegal possession of firearms, and of explosives.

The PNP spokesperson said that they have secured ten search warrants for different properties in Negros Oriental province. The complaint filed before the DOJ this afternoon stemmed from the search warrant implemented in Teves’ house in Bayawan “where [we] seized high-caliber unlicensed firearms and explosives.”

Fajardo said the lawmaker and his sons will undergo preliminary investigation.

The PNP-CIDG on Tuesday said they have filed illegal possession of firearms and of explosives complaints against the lawmaker’s aide and five others. This was following the raids conducted in five different addresses in Basay and Bawayan City, in Negros Oriental on March 10.

In a March 11 statement, the CIDG said they conducted simultaneous implementation of search warrants through its intensified campaign against loose firearms or Oplan "Paglalansag Omega" in the province of Negros Oriental.

Fajardo explained in the press conference that they sought search warrants from the courts following the filing of multiple murder complaints against Teves and “associates close to him” over 2019 killings. This, the police spokesperson said, prompted them to check whether the respondents are keeping loose firearms.

Representative Teves and his two sons have been charged with possession of loose firearms and explosives.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1742612/bantag-others-indicted-for-murder-of-percy-lapid-bilibid-inmate

A panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Gerald Bantag and several others over the killing of broadcaster Percival Mabasa, who was popularly known as Percy Lapid, and Bilibid inmate Jun Villamor.

In a resolution, the DOJ panel, also named Sr. Supt. Ricardo Zulueta and inmates Alvin Labra and Aldrig an Galicia as respondents for two counts of murder alongside Bantag.

Likewise named respondents for Lapid’s killing are Joel Escorial, a certain Edmon Dimaculangan, a certain alias Orlando, inmates Denver Mayores and Alfie Peñaedonda, and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) detainee Christopher Bacoto. Escorial is the confessed hitman in the veteran broadcaster’s ambush slay case.

For Villamor’s murder, the panel has also named as respondents Mario Alvarez, Joseph Georfo, Christian Ramac, Ricky Salgado, Ronnie dela Cruz, and Joel Reyes.

“The preliminary investigation established that the murders of Mabasa and Villamor were attended by conspiracy between and among the respective respondents. The plan of the respondents to kill them both, includng its execution, was shown by the evidence for the complainants,” read the DOJ briefer.

“The prosecution notes that the death of Villamor were intertwined with the death of Percival and that the death of the former was used to cover-up the death of the latter,” the briefer stated.

Lapid was killed on October 3, 2022, near the gate of the subdivision where he lived in Las Piñas City.

Suspended Bureau of Corrections Director Gerald Bantag and several others have been charged with the murder of broadcaster Percy Lapid and a Bilibid inmate.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197526

The chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) and 12 other policemen were relieved from their posts over allegations of extortion on a group of Chinese businessmen in Parañaque City.

CIDG chief Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said Thursday the move was based on the complaint of the victim who sought the assistance of Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, Philippine National Police (PNP) deputy chief for administration, after the operatives allegedly took expensive watches and other personal belongings from their group on March 13.

Sacked were Col. Hansel Marantan, director of the CIDG-NCR, two other officers and 10 police non-commissioned officers.

The victims also told Sermonia that the CIDG operatives took PHP3 million from a vault and also demanded money from them in exchange for their freedom.

Caramat, however, clarified that the relief of Marantan was based on the concept of command responsibility since those involved were his officers.

“In fairness to Col. Hansel Marantan, I just received a courtesy resignation from being the regional chief of the NCR field unit. Maybe so as not to influence the investigation we are doing regarding the robbery extortion activity,” Caramat told reporters in a chance interview.

“The matter is now being investigated. Their relief is an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) so as not to have undue influence over the case,” he added.

For his part, Sermonia said the policemen entered one of the houses of a Chinese businessman who was then playing mahjong with friends and fellow businessmen.

He said the cops told the victims that they went to the area over noise complaints of the neighbors.

“They started arresting those people and then allegedly, their offense was illegal gambling,” Sermonia told reporters.

He said the policemen allegedly took two expensive watches, a Patek Philippe and Richard Mille and other pieces of jewelry.

“The 13 arrested personalities were brought here at the CIDG-NCR office (Camp Crame) and then in exchange for their freedom, according to the complainants, they gave money to our operatives,” said Sermonia.

Some of the jewelry, including the two expensive watches, were recovered.

Sermonia said as the PNP's second highest official, he has a duty to ensure internal discipline is being upheld at all times.

“If they (police) caught them and they have violations, they have should have charged them immediately. Then, it also involves expensive possesions and a big amount money. This is why I immediately summoned the CIDG director if they have records of the operation. The CIDG director's action is swift about this matter and I also told the Chief PNP (Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.) about this. He immediately ordered a probe and if there is a lapse on the part of our police officers, they are going to be charged,” he explained

13 CIDG Officers have been sacked for extortion.