It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Two police officers were killed in an ambush by still unidentified gunmen in Lambayong town, Sultan Kudarat province, on Tuesday night, July 7.
Initial report from Sultan Kudarat Police Provincial Office, showed that the victims, identified only as Patrolmen Pagurayan and Bullos, were riding in tandem on a motorcycle driven by Pagurayan, when ambuhsed at about 6:30 p.m. while traversing a bridge in Barangay Tinumiguis.
Both fatalities were assigned to the 1202nd Mobile Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB 12).
The gunmen used M16 rifles in the ambush based on the empty shells recovered at the scene.
Manhunt operation was still ongoing as of posting.
Two police officers were killed in an ambush by still unidentified gunmen in Lambayong town, Sultan Kudarat province.
Pateros Mayor Gerald German suspended two municipal employees who were caught riding a motorcycle without helmets on July 6.
German earlier directed the two employees, assigned to the Pateros Business District and Administration Office, to submit an explanation.
A photo showed them riding without helmets along B. Morcilla Street.
The employees said they were rushing to respond to a report about street beggars in Barangay Sta. Ana.
The municipal government, however, ruled that urgency was not a valid reason to disregard the law.
German later issued an administrative order, imposing a traffic citation ticket on the motorcyclist for violating the helmet ordinance and suspending him without pay for five days. His companion was given a three-day suspension without pay.
“This step is proof that in the Pateros Municipal Government, the law is enforced equally. No one is above the law—be it a government employee or official,” the municipal government said.
Pateros Mayor Gerald German suspended two municipal employees who were caught riding a motorcycle without helmets.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed the immediate filing of administrative and criminal cases against a police officer who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly transporting PHP1.285 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.
Nartatez instructed concerned units to place the police officer, who is assigned at Camp Crame in Quezon City, under restrictive custody and to immediately initiate administrative proceedings.
He ordered investigators to ensure the filing of appropriate criminal and administrative cases without delay once the investigation and the assessment of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) are completed.
“The arrest demonstrates that no one is above the law. We will ensure a thorough, impartial investigation, and if the evidence warrant, the concerned personnel will face both administrative and criminal charges,” Nartatez said in a statement on Monday.
The police officer was arrested Sunday during a checkpoint conducted by intelligence personnel of the Pagadian City Police Station along the national highway in Barangay Tiguma after authorities received information about the alleged transport of smuggled cigarettes.
The suspect attempted to pass through the checkpoint, but during a search of the vehicle, police discovered 251 reams of New Berlin cigarettes with an estimated market value of PHP1.285 million.
Meanwhile, authorities confiscated PHP50.98 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested 86 suspects in 62 nationwide operations conducted July 2 to 9, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Monday.
Of those arrested, 55 were identified as drug pushers while 10 were alleged possessors.
All suspects will face charges under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
A cop has been busted for smuggling cigarettes
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Cebu City Government’s implementation of the long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) project, after finding that ₱1.13 billion had already been spent on the project despite major engineering deficiencies, contract issues, and prolonged delays that prevented auditors from completing a full technical evaluation.
The findings add another layer of scrutiny to one of the city’s largest and longest-running infrastructure projects. These are contained in COA’s 2025 Annual Audit Report on the Cebu City Government.
The Cebu City hospital project has remained unfinished more than a decade after the 2013 Bohol earthquake rendered the old hospital building unsafe.
COA said that deficiencies in detailed engineering activities, inadequately substantiated contract time extensions, and the failure to submit required technical documents contributed to “significant implementation delays.”
It also led to contract terminations in some phases and kept state auditors from fully inspecting and doing a technical evaluation of portions of the project.
The audit covered five infrastructure contracts comprising the proposed new CCMC, which had accumulated ₱1,130,186,007.55 in project costs as of Dec. 31, 2025, against a total contract value of ₱1,904,225,845.36.
The observations come as the Archival administration pushes to complete the hospital by the end of 2026 and after city officials themselves acknowledged lingering concerns over the quality and management of previous construction phases.
In its report, COA said that the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) failed to submit several required documents needed for a proper technical audit. This prevented auditors from completing engineering evaluations required under government regulations.
Among the deficiencies auditors identified were inadequate detailed engineering activities before project implementation, insufficient justification for contract time extensions, prolonged suspensions of construction works, and missing technical records for several project phases.
The audit cited inconsistencies with Presidential Decree No. 1870, the Government Procurement Reform Act (Republic Act No. 9184), and COA Circular No. 2009-001, which prescribes documentary requirements for infrastructure audits.
For Phases I, II, as well as the interior masonry, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection works on the fifth and sixth floors, COA directed the DEPW to submit all lacking technical documents to facilitate the completion of the audit.
As for Phase III, auditors ordered the city to justify the reported 574-day suspension of the project and recover any overpayments if warranted.
Referring to Phase IV, COA required city engineers to explain excess and non-bill of quantities (BOQ) items, justify corresponding payments, and account for the reported non-functionality of installed systems as well as the absence of testing and commissioning.
Auditors also instructed the city to explain why implementation problems slipped through the detailed engineering stage undetected.
They further asked the city to submit an approved master plan clearly identifying work assignments for each construction phase. They asked for the detailed Program of Works and Estimates showing how activities were distributed across the hospital’s different sections.
COA further recommended evaluating unfinished contracts for possible termination or takeover through the city’s Contract Termination Review Committee.
Finally, the commission urged the city government to ensure that future infrastructure projects undergo adequate detailed engineering. All required documents must be submitted on time to allow proper audit and technical evaluation.
The audit findings closely mirror concerns Cebu City officials recently raised over the hospital’s prolonged construction.
Last week, Mayor Nestor Archival said he supports hiring an independent project management consultant to oversee the remaining works.
He said the project has become too complicated after passing through multiple contractors over the past decade.
Archival also disclosed that recent inspections found portions of previous construction that may not satisfy technical standards, particularly involving the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. These still require extensive testing before completion can proceed.
The mayor said that city engineers have already instructed the current contractor to conduct technical tests. Results will determine whether the city needs to replace previously installed systems.
The contractor also received an additional 145 days to complete portions of the project because of these technical requirements.
The COA observations also came days after the Cebu City Council ordered an investigation into the project’s repeated delays.
During last week’s regular session, Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña described the reconstruction as the city’s “most corrupt” infrastructure project and questioned the absence of a complete program of works despite multiple contractors handling different phases over the years.
Councilor David “Dave” Tumulak likewise urged the city government to hire an independent project management consultant, saying professional oversight has become necessary to coordinate contractors, monitor schedules, ensure quality control, and protect taxpayers’ money.
The council subsequently referred the matter to its committees on infrastructure, health, and laws for further inquiry.
The reconstruction of the new CCMC began after the magnitude 7.2 Bohol earthquake in October 2013 rendered the original hospital building structurally unsafe.
Since then, successive city administrations have allocated billions of pesos for the project.
But changing contractors, procurement issues, contract disputes, engineering deficiencies, missing technical documents, and administrative transitions repeatedly stalled completion.
The city resumed Phase 5 construction earlier this year and aims to complete the building by December 2026, with full hospital operations targeted in early 2027.
Once completed, the expanded facility will add 400 to 500 hospital beds. That will significantly increase Cebu City’s capacity to provide tertiary healthcare services.
The Commission on Audi has flagged the Cebu City Government’s implementation of the long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center project, after finding that ₱1.13 billion had already been spent on the project despite major engineering deficiencies, contract issues, and prolonged delays that prevented auditors from completing a full technical evaluation.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday enforced the six-month preventive suspension against Mayor Arcadio “Najie” Gapangada here.
The Ombudsman suspended Gapaganda for administrative charges of grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and oppression.
The cases stemmed from a complaint filed Vice Mayor Justine Colago who was installed as acting mayor by the DILG-Calabarzon.
Gapaganda allegedly stripped career and plantilla officials of their functions, marginalized them, reassigned them, or bypassed them in the operations of various city offices in favor of job order employees.
Brian Mey Tomas, assistant secretary for legal and legislative affairs of the DILG, issued the order directing DILG-Calabarzon regional director Ariel Iglesia to implement Gapaganda’s suspension dated July 8, 2026.
Councilor Carmela Acebedo assumed the position of acting vice mayor.
Colago vowed to conduct a comprehensive review of Gapangada's appointments and ordered department heads to examine and revoke questionable job order contracts.
Gapangada denied any wrongdoing and said he will file a Motion for Reconsideration before the Ombudsman, saying his suspension violated his right to due process.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has enforced the six-month preventive suspension against Mayor Arcadio “Najie” Gapangada.
A soldier was wounded in an ambush in Barangay Bus-Bus, Jolo Sulu, on Sunday, July 12.
Investigation showed that the victim, 28-year-old Philippine Army Corporal Ernesto Cataylo Jr., was driving his motorcycle when he was shot by gunmen on another motorcycle. Catalo was taken to a hospital.
Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man was shot dead in Barangay San Raymundo, Jolo by an unidentified gunman in a suspected drug-related attack.
Police identified the victim as Ebrakin Mamong Nur, a resident of Patikul, Sulu.
Nur was walking in Barangay Kasalamatan when he was killed.
Police found cartridge cases, a deformed slug from a caliber .45 pistol, and drug paraphernalia.
Follow-up investigations are ongoing.
A soldier was wounded in an ambush.
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former social worker to up to 24 years in prison for malversation and graft charges involving funds meant for emergency subsidies for more than 9,000 beneficiaries of the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
In a 56-page decision dated July 13 and written by Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg, the anti-graft court affirmed the Manila Regional Trial Court's ruling that convicted Victoria Marites Cobico, a former special disbursing officer stationed at the Rehabilitation Sheltered Workshop of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), for misappropriating over PHP4 million in public funds in 2021.
Cobico was sentenced to a maximum penalty of up to 16 years in prison for the malversation charge and up to eight years with perpetual disqualification from public office for a separate graft case.
The court also ordered Cobico to return the malversed amount worth PHP4.272 million, "with legal interest at the rate of 6 percent per annum from the finality of judgment until full payment."
The money was part of the PHP74.98 million encashed by the accused and was meant for payout to beneficiaries of the SAP, aimed at assisting individuals whose livelihoods were affected by community quarantines during the coronavirus pandemic.
An employee for eight years at the time she was charged, the accused claimed she was pressured into admitting during the cash count that she had lent SAP funds to a friend whose child had cancer.
She also denied being the sole person who distributed SAP funds.
“(A)ccused-appellant was specifically tasked to receive, safeguard, disburse, liquidate, and return any unexpended balance of the cash advance. Such functions necessarily carried with them legal accountability over the entirety of the funds entrusted to her,” the court explained.
“The duty to account for public funds remains personal to the accountable officer and cannot be diluted or transferred through informal delegation or internal arrangements,” the Sandiganbayan added, in affirming the lower court’s ruling.
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former social worker to up to 24 years in prison for malversation and graft charges involving funds meant for emergency subsidies for more than 9,000 beneficiaries of the government’s Social Amelioration Program.
