It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/23/barangay-councilor-shot-in-makati-mayor-nancy-condemns-attack |
A barangay councilor in Makati City was shot and wounded on Thursday morning, July 23, prompting Mayor Nancy Binay to order intensified police presence in the city’s villages.
Binay condemned the attack on Barangay Sta. Cruz Councilor Atty. John Yland “JY” De Ocampo, who is now undergoing medical treatment.
She said the city government had immediately coordinated with his family and was prepared to extend whatever assistance they might need.
The mayor also directed the Makati police to investigate the case without delay and take all necessary steps to identify and arrest those responsible.
Authorities urged the public to report any information that could aid the investigation, assuring residents that their safety would be protected.
“The city government is extending its full support to the investigation. We are also strengthening police presence across the city,” she said.
“To the family of Councilor De Ocampo and the entire Barangay Sta. Cruz community, you are not alone. We will do everything we can to secure justice for Councilor JY,” she assured.
A barangay councilor in Makati City was shot and wounded on Thursday morning, July 23.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/24/sexagenarian-stoned-to-death-by-sk-councilor-in-negros-occidental |
A 64-year-old man died after he was allegedly struck in the head with a stone by a 22-year-old Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councilor, who was a relative, in Barangay Ilaya, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, July 21.
Police identified the victim as Rody.
Investigation showed that suspect Mike went home after a drinking session with Rody and neighbors when the victim allegedly attempted to force his way inside the suspect’s house and threw stones at the house when he was ignored.
Police Lt. Jessica Malata, deputy chief of the Calatrava Municipal Police Station, said the suspect went outside to pacify the victim and stop the noise that could disturb his grandmother.
A fistfight erupted during which the suspect picked up a stone and struck the victim on the head.
Responding barangay peacekeepers apprehended the suspect who was turned to the police on Wednesday, July 22.
Malata said the incident may have been triggered by intoxication. The victim and the suspect had no previous misunderstanding.
Homicide charges were filed against the suspect on Thursday, July 23. Follow-up investigations is ongoing.
An SK councilor killed a relative during a night.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/750396/sibonga-sk-councilor-arrested-after-allegedly-punching-barangay-captain-during-mediation |
A 25-year-old Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councilor in Sibonga, Cebu is facing a direct assault complaint after she allegedly punched their barangay captain while the latter was mediating a family dispute inside the barangay hall on Thursday, July 23.
Police Captain Michael G. Calaurian, Chief of Sibonga Municipal Police Station, said police were completing the necessary case documents on Friday, July 24, before filing the complaint against the councilor, who was arrested several hours after the incident.
According to the police report, the incident happened at around 1:30 p.m. inside the Barangay Hall of Barangay Dugoan, where the barangay captain was conducting a mediation between the SK councilor’s mother and her brother-in-law over a family conflict.
Calaurian said the dispute stemmed from the brother-in-law’s stay at the family’s residence, with the SK councilor’s mother insisting that he leave the house.’
According to the police official, the SK councilor entered the barangay hall after her mother asked that she be allowed inside because she had a message for her.
However, the barangay captain reportedly told the councilor to leave since she was not among the parties involved in the mediation.
Police said the councilor then confronted her brother-in-law, triggering a commotion inside the barangay hall.
According to Calaurian, the barangay captain tried to pacify the two, but the SK councilor allegedly punched her instead.
“He really shouldn’t have been involved. The only people who were supposed to mediate with the barangay captain were his mother and his brother-in-law. Then he probably just fought back, then the captain told him, ‘Get out of here because you’re not involved in the mediation,’ and he got offended. That’s why he punched the captain instead,” Calaurian said during an interview on Friday.The blow reportedly broke the barangay captain’s eyeglasses and caused a scratch near her eye.
The barangay captain later went to the police station to report the incident, prompting officers, together with barangay tanods, to conduct a follow-up operation.
According to the report, the suspect initially managed to evade arrest. At around 10 p.m., however, barangay tanods arrested the suspect at her residence in Barangay Dugoan and brought her to Sibonga Municipal Police Station for the filing of appropriate charges.
As of Friday, investigators are completing the necessary documents for the filing of a direct assault complaint against the SK councilor.
A 25-year-old Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councilor in Sibonga, Cebu is facing a direct assault complaint after she allegedly punched their barangay captain while the latter was mediating a family dispute inside the barangay hall.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/25/ombudsman-files-14-graft-charges-vs-party-list-solon-over-alleged-interest-in-p214-m-dpwh-contracts |
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has charged Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. with 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly retaining an interest in a construction firm that secured P214 million in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts while he was in Congress.
“While sitting in Congress, Rep. Ang holds a stake in a construction firm that won ₱214 million in DPWH contracts — and was paid nearly ₱199 million for them,” Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic “Mico” Clavano IV told reporters covering OMB on Saturday, July 25.
According to the OMB, the Constitution bars members of Congress from holding any financial interest in government contracts while serving their terms.
“Conflict of interest is not a gray area. It does not require proof that a deal was rigged or that cash changed hands — only that a public official profited, or stood to profit, from a government contract while in office,” said Clavano.
“Here, and in many cases, the clear and thick constitutional line is constantly and blatantly being crossed,” he went on.
On July 18, the Ombudsman announced that the complaints against Ang and other congressmen have moved to the preliminary investigation stage.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said the complaints are part of the office’s continuing investigation into alleged conflicts of interest involving lawmakers who are also allegedly contractors.
Earlier, the Ombudsman told politicians to choose between public service and private business, saying elected officials should stop engaging in government contracting as the office continues its conflict-of-interest investigations.
Remulla said the practice of mixing public office with private business interests must come to an end.
Those who wish to pursue business, he said, should stay out of politics.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/23/negros-occidental-provincial-board-member-faces-raps |
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) confirmed on Thursday, July 23, that criminal and administrative complaints were formally filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday, July 20, against Negros Occidental third district Board Member Andrew Montelibano following a recent e-sabong raid.
The complaints stemmed from the joint operation led by the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) against a most wanted person in Barangay Alicante, E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, which led to the discovery of an alleged illegal online sabong (cockfighting) operation in a five-hectare property on July 8.
Police Lt. Col. Joem Malong, PRO-NIR spokesperson, refrained from discussing specific details, evidence, and allegations contained in the complaints, as these are now under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman and remain subject to its evaluation.
In a statement, Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, PRO-NIR director, emphasized that the filing and receipt of these complaints are part of the legal process and should not be construed as a determination of guilt.
He added that they respect the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman in the disposition of the complaints, and believes that any further disclosure may unduly affect the proceedings and, as such, will defer to the proper legal process.
Montelibano was tagged by authorities as a person of interest after he was reportedly found in the vicinity of an alleged multi-million illegal online sabong operation.
He denied allegations linking him to the alleged illegal gambling operation, although he acknowledged being a co-owner of the property, which is a fishpond owned by a corporation. He clarified that he has not managed or operated the property for the past 20 years.
Montelibano added that the property had been leased to raise game fowl starting in late December last year. According to him, the lease arrangement resumed this month, although it was done without a formal contract.
He reiterated his support for the police investigation and said he stands with authorities in their efforts to curb illegal gambling activities in the province.
Montelibano has yet to comment on the Ombudsman charges.
Malong said that four persons who were arrested in the property for allegedly engaging in illegal online sabong were released due to insufficient evidence.
She added that the prosecutor is looking for more solid evidence to link them to the illegal gambling activity.
Malong said the complaint filed before the prosecutor has yet to be resolved and it is currently under preliminary investigation.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/07/21/2543496/mmda-enforcer-axed-counterflowing-edsa |
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority sacked yesterday an MMDA traffic enforcer for counterflowing on the EDSA busway last week.
MMDA general manager Nicolas Torre III said the motorcycle-riding Jeffrey Tablan, 52, was recorded on video counterflowing on the EDSA bus lane on July 16.
Tablan, who has been with the MMDA for 22 years, said he was rushing home after receiving a call from his wife that their 10-year-old child with Down syndrome was having difficulty breathing.
“We have an internal policy, that our members are not allowed to pass through the busway,” Vic Nuñez, director for Traffic Discipline Office, said.
MMDA officials who flagged Tablan also said he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
“He did not notice that he was going toward a bus,” Nuñez said. “What he did was very dangerous. It may have cost him his life.”
Tablan admitted that he had taken alcohol before driving the motorcycle, but that he was not drunk. He apologized for his action.
“This is definitely a dismissal from the service. He can appeal if he thinks the penalty is too harsh,” Torre told reporters.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority sacked yesterday an MMDA traffic enforcer for counterflowing on the EDSA busway.
An ethics complaint was filed on Wednesday against Sen. Pia Cayetano over a reportedly spliced video of House Prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno that she posted amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.The complaint was lodged by former Commission on Higher Education chairperson Patricia “Tatti” Licaunan, University of the Philippines Diliman professor and Everywoman co-convenor Jean Franco, Parents Initiative and Social Awareness Mainstreaming Advocacy, Sanctuary Network, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Public Administration Student Council President Joahna Marie Dela Cruz, the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, District Wide Advocates Quezon City, and Pandayan Para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas.
The groups said the edited video, which was done deliberately, has undermined the integrity of the Senate as an impeachment court.
“The deliberate editing of official impeachment proceedings to mislead the public is not merely a political act. It is a serious ethical issue that strikes at the integrity of the Senate as an impeachment court,” the complainants said.
The Senate committee on ethics and privileges received the complaint at 3:11 p.m. Wednesday.
In the letter, the complainants requested that the Senate panel “conduct an inquiry into the public actions” of Cayetano from her supposed “deliberate dissemination of a spliced and misleading video on her Facebook page.”
They noted that Cayetano’s sharing of such a video “violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability,” which prohibits members of the bar from engaging in “unlawful, dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct.”
“Deliberately omitting Rep. Diokno’s legal explanation to invert the meaning of his statement constitutes active, calculated deceit. Sen. Pia S. Cayetano engaged in an artifice designed to deceive the viewing public into believing that Rep. Diokno confessed to an improper legal maneuver,” they explained.
Furthermore, the complainants tagged Cayetano’s social media activity as a “reckless disregard for the truth.”
The senator-judges also took the Constitutional oath to practice “impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws of the Philippines, the complainants pointed out.
“The actions done by Sen. Pia Cayetano were a direct violation of this oath. The video only revealed her bias for the vice-president’s camp. Unfortunately, Sen. Pia S. Cayetano no longer has the cold neutrality of an impartial judge, which all parties before a court are entitled to as part of due process,” they added.
The complainants asked the Senate to reprimand Cayetano, arguing that her post caused “institutional damage“ to the upper chamber and could undermine public trust in the impeachment process.
They said the Senate’s failure to act on the complaint “risks eroding public confidence in the neutrality expected of senator-judges,” stressing that members of the impeachment court are expected to uphold impartiality and protect the integrity of the proceedings.
“No one–espeially senator-judges– should be permitted to distort or selectively present the official proceedings in a manner that misleads the public… When a senator-judge publicly acts in a manner inconsistent with the standards governing the proceedings, public confidence in the institution is inevitably diminished,” they highlighted.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2271516/sandiganbayan-issues-arrest-warrant-vs-rep-jojo-ang-ex-rep-arnulfo-go |
The Sandiganbayan on Monday issued an arrest warrant against Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. Jojo Ang and former Sultan Kudarat Rep. Arnulfo Go as well as his two co-accused.
The anti-graft court Third Division said they found probable cause for the arrest of Ang and Go, along with the latter’s co-accused Allan Gayosa Bayani and Mario Abasolo Labrador.
According to the Sandiganbayan, state prosecutors indicted Ang for violation of Section 3(h) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Previously, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said state prosecutors filed 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan against Ang.
Clavano said while sitting in Congress, Ang allegedly holds a stake in a construction firm that won ₱214 million in Public Works contracts, and was purportedly paid nearly ₱199 million for them.
Meanwhile, Ang was also among those named by jailed private contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya as one of those in his payoff ledger, allegedly soliciting money from them after they won in a government project bid. Ang previously denied this.
As for Go, state prosecutors indicted him, as well as Bayani and Labrador on November 25 last year for violation of Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (Malversation of Public Funds).
The Sandiganbayan also issued a hold departure order against all of the accused.
The Sandiganbayan on Monday issued an arrest warrant against Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. Jojo Ang and former Sultan Kudarat Rep. Arnulfo Go as well as his two co-accused.
