It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Authorities arrested a municipal councilor of Babatngon, Leyte for alleged possession of illegal drugs worth P165,000 at 7:40 a.m. on Friday.
Ceasar Bergula, 52, who is serving his second term as a councilor, reportedly transacted with a poseur-buyer at a public market in Barangay District 4, Babatngon town, reports reaching the Eastern Visayas police based in Palo town said.
Seized from the suspect were five large heat-sealed plastic sachets containing shabu (methamphetamine) with a street value of P165,000, a medium-sized plastic sachet of shabu worth P5,000, and five P1,000 bills.
A town councilor nabbed for drugs.
A barangay kagawad or councilman was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Sampaloc, Manila on Thursday night.
Antonio Calma Jr., 43, was talking with his colleagues inside the barangay hall on Algeciras street when two men wearing face masks barged inside the room and opened fire, according to police.
The incident was caught on closed-circuit television footage.
Capt. Henry Navarro, chief of the Manila Police District homicide unit, said they recovered 14 spent shells of unknown firearm at the scene.
Police sources said Calma was tagged as a high-value target because of his alleged involvement in drugs.
Another barangay councilman involved in drugs gunned down in public.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) filed charges against 98 barangay officials and civilians in Western Visayas over alleged anomalies in the implementation of the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
Lt. Col. Gervacio Balmaceda Jr., CIDG regional field unit chief, said 50 suspects were charged in this city, based on the complaints of 42 people.
Ten others were charged in Negros Occidental, 29 in Iloilo, six in Antique and one each in Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan.
Balmaceda said there are 92 complainants.
More barangay officials facing charges over SAP distribution anomalies.
Two police officers tagged in the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur were arrested yesterday.
S/Sgts. Marawi Torda and Dante Ramos of the San Juan police station were respondents in the complaints filed by the victim and her 18-year-old cousin for acts of lasciviousness and rape, respectively, on Thursday, according to Cabugao police chief Capt. Ramil Llarenas.
The victim was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men shortly after she and her cousin filed their complaints on Friday.
Two cops rape a 15 year old girl, she files a complaint against them, and then they kill her. But that's not all!
Relatives of a 15-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Ilocos Sur province said they were getting threats as the investigation of the case continued.
Police Staff Sergeants Randy Ramos and Marawi Torda, both assigned to the San Juan police, had been sued for the crime and were relieved from their posts. They are under restrictive custody at the Ilocos regional police headquarters in La Union province.
Melody Saniatan, the victim’s aunt, said the family had to leave their place in Cabugao town in Ilocos Sur for fear of their safety.
Now who could be threatening this family?
Some Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers were removed from their posts as they were found to have “fictitiously” encoded that the former chief operating officer (COO) of German payments processing firm Wirecard AG entered the country on June 23, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Saturday.
In a Viber message to reporters, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the BI officers who encoded the entries have not only been relieved from their duties as they will also face administrative sanctions.
He added that BI has established that former Wirecard AG exec Jan Marsalek did not arrive in the Philippines on June 23 “based on CCTV footage, airline manifests, and other records.”
“He also did not depart on June 24, as there was no such flight to China as indicated in the database of the [BI],” he added.
Interesting that employees of the BI can manipulate the system that way. Why would they do it?
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. has been slapped with a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for reportedly engaging in black propaganda and partisan political activities.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman seeking to have Parlade face charges for violation of Section 3(e) of R.A. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Section 55 (Political Activity), Chapter 7 Subtitle A Title I of the Administrative Code of 1987 (Executive Order No. 292).
In his complaint, Zarate said that Parlade, who was the Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations, publicly engaged in black propaganda and negative campaigning against him and Bayan Muna Party-list and the Makabayan Coalition during the campaign period for the 2019 national elections, which took place from February 12 to May 11, 2019.
Zarate and the rest of the Makabayan representatives initially filed a complaint-affidavit against the AFP on April 17, 2019 before the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which has already been submitted for resolution. Despite the filing of the complaint, Parlade reportedly intensified his attacks against them.
Zarate cited several instances in which Parlade reportedly smeared his person and the reputation of Bayan Muna. One such instance was during Parlade’s speech at the Milipol Asia-Pacific 2019 Conference in Singapore on April 5, wherein Bayan Muna was accused as a “Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) front organization.”
The complaint is for red-tagging and black propaganda which falls under the anti-graft law. For now this is just a complaint.
Narcs arrested a village councilor in Baybay City in a drug buy-bust on Monday (July 6).
Marco Antonio Villacorte, 37, alderman of Zone 20 village in Baybay, allegedly sold a pack of shabu, or crystal meth, worth P500 to an undercover agent.
Cleveland Villamor, head agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Leyte province, said Villacorte also yielded three sachets of meth worth P16,000.
Another LGU busted for drugs.
Two police officers were nabbed for robbery-extortion in Malolos City, Bulacan, the anti-scalawag unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.
Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group chief, identified the suspects as Senior M/Sgt. Vic Godwin Lajom and Pat. Jay Mark Tuazon, both assigned with the Malolos City Police-Community Precinct 5 (PCP), and their civilian accomplices, Wendell Mendoza and Kenneth Villena.
In his report to PNP chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa, Lee said the four were arrested right inside the Malolos City PCP 5 around 12:30 p.m. Monday following an entrapment operation conducted by IMEG operatives, in cooperation with the PNP Intelligence Group and the Bulacan Police Provincial Office.
“We have received several complaints regarding the involvement of the two policemen in a massive protection racket in their area where they demand money from tricycle drivers and traffic violators in exchange for the nullification of their traffic citation tickets,” said Lee.
Lee added that the four were arrested shortly after they received a marked PHP500 bill from a complainant.
He said his team conducted a series of validation in the area and discovered that the suspects are really known for apprehending erring tricycle drivers and other civilians for traffic violations. They would ask for money from them in exchange for the downgrading or nullification of their traffic offenses.
“The two civilians were found to be acting as the middlemen of the accused policemen in collecting money from the violators,” Lee said.
Two cops along with the help of two civilians shaking down tricycle drivers and others for traffic violations.
The chief inquest prosecutor of Manila City was shot dead by unidentified men in broad daylight Tuesday, in Manila.
A report from Ermita police station said Manila Regional Trial Court chief inquest prosecutor Jovencio Senados (62) was shot by gunmen aboard a black SUV.
The incident happened along Quirino Highway, corner Anakbayan, in Barangay 686 in Paco, Manila at around 11:05 a.m.
An independent tally of the National Union of Peoples’ lawyers showed that Senados is the 50th member of the Philippine Bar killed since the start of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Among those killed are private and rights lawyers, government prosecutors and even active judges.
A government prosecutor is the 50th lawyer gunned down since 2016.
A person was wounded while 75 others--including a former city councilor here--were arrested after violence erupted Sunday morning in a disputed ancestral land in the outskirts of Tboli town, South Cotabato province.
Maj. Irish Hezron Parangan, chief of Tboli municipal police station, said on Monday that a group of land claimants allegedly harassed and destroyed at least 20 shanties owned by members of the Palon family at a portion of Sito Pagang in Barangay Basag past 7 a.m.
Parangan said the Palons were occupants of a portion of ancestral land in the village that was also being claimed by a group of residents from the city led by former City Councilor Minda Atendido.
Carrying high-powered firearms and bladed weapons, he said the claimants led by Atendido reportedly stormed the site and harassed the occupants.
An occupant identified as Junjun Menson Daroy, 21, sustained a gunshot wound from an undetermined firearm during the attack, he said.
During the clearing operations past 9 a.m. along with elements from the Army’s 11th Special Forces Company, Parangan said they found the armed suspects on site along with the former city councilor.
Former city councilor leads an armed group of residents in a land dispute.
A court employee faces drug charges after he was arrested in a buy-bust operation in San Miguel town, Leyte province on Tuesday (July 7).
Roy Labesig, 44, allegedly sold a pack of shabu, or crystal meth, worth P1,000 to an undercover narc, according to Cleveland Villamor, chief agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Leyte.
Labesig was also allegedly caught in possession of more sachets of meth worth at least P81,600.
The court employee, tagged as a high-value target, will be charged. He is now detained at the San Miguel police station.
A court employee, was a high value target, was caught selling drugs.
Four village watchmen who were suspected of killing a soldier and two militiamen in Basilan last week have surrendered to the military, an Army official said.
The suspects are members of the Barangay Peace Action Team, or BPAT, of Bohe Lebbung village in Tipo-Tipo town.
On Friday (July 3), they attacked a group led by an Army soldier, militiamen and several civilians, killing four and wounding another four. They then fled to Sumisip town.
Reyeg identified them as Ayatula Mohammad, 40, Saham Mohammad, 45, Lito Manisan, 45, and Kasim Manisan, 34.
Manisan is said to have a personal grudge against a soldier, Pfc Mark Anthony Monte, who is assigned to lead militiamen at Bohe Lebbung village.
Aside from Monte, two militiamen and a civilian were killed. Another two militiamen and two civilians were also wounded in the attack last Friday.
Four village watchmen kill a solider and two others over a personal grudge.
A pair of cops, disguised as a deliveryman and a civilian, tried but failed to serve on Tuesday, July 7, an invalid arrest warrant to a human rights group leader.
Karapatan secretary-general Tinay Palabay narrated the foiled arrest in a Facebook post. She said that a cop who introduced himself as an “LBC courier” gave her the warrant over a revived perjury complaint against Karapatan’s officers by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon.
What was wrong with the warrant? It was already a null warrant. The warrant of arrest from Esperon’s case was issued while Palabay was out of the country in March. When she returned in April, she posted bail and attended online hearings with the court judge to secure her recall order for the warrant against her.
As stated in the judge's recall order, the "warrant of arrest... issued against the accused is hereby LIFTED, RECALLED and RETURNED to this court." This means Palabay should no longer be arrested.
Cops breaking basic procedure? Palabay pointed out that aside from wearing civilian attire and posing as a civilian, the cops did not read her her rights in their attempt to arrest her. She asked them why they failed to follow procedures. She said they replied that they wouldn’t arrest anyone if they followed procedures. (READ: If you're arrested or detained, know these rights)
Palabay asked for their identification cards. The “deliveryman” initially said he had left his in their car, but he eventually pulled it out of his backpocket.
Two cops disguised as delivery men try to serve an expired warrant. They also attempted to arrest her without reading her her rights. Highly irregular.
If we don’t trust the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the government, we might as well “dissolve” them.
This was according to Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who slammed the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) which stated that the number of those killed in the government’s war on illegal drugs in the Philippines may be “triple” than what the PNP has reported.
At one point during the interview, Dela Rosa was asked why the drug war numbers from the PNP should be trusted.
“If you do not trust the PNP numbers, we dissolve the PNP, if you don’t trust the government, tanggalin natin gobyerno. Let the human rights [groups], sila ang mag-rule sa ating bansa pag ganun, kung wala na tayong tiwala sa government instrumentality,” Dela Rosa said.
(If you do not trust the PNP numbers, we dissolve the PNP, if you don’t trust the government, let’s remove the overnment. Let the human rights groups rule the country, if we don’t trust government instrumentalities).
“Sige, dissolve natin lahat pati gobyerno pag ‘di tayo maniwala,” he added.
(Let’s dissolve it all, even the government if we don’t trust them).
What he is really saying is trust the government or else. The problem is the Philippine government is not trustworthy. His dichotomy of absolute trust in the government or it's dissolution presents a false choice. Besides that the constitution declares that the power of the government originates in the people.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday told employees of ABS-CBN to just look for other jobs should congressmen reject the network’s franchise application and permanently stop their operations.
“Hanap ng ibang trabaho para mabuhay, magsumikap (Look for other jobs, work harder). May ibang paraan pa naman siguro para mabuhay tayo hangga’t may ibang jobs (There are other ways to earn for a living as long as there are other jobs),” the administration senator said in a virtual interview with reporters.
“Alangan namang sabihin ko sa kanila na maghimagsik kayo, magwala kayo (I cannot tell them to protest, start a revolution). Maghanap na lang ng ibang trabaho para mabuhay pamilya ninyo (They can just look for other jobs so their families will still live),” he added.
Despite saying that he feels for the employees of the broadcast company, and that it would be difficult to look for employment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said other workers are equally affected by the closure of several businesses.
The neophyte senator also shared his belief that the shut down of ABS-CBN would not have an impact to the country, contrary to the concerns raised by most of his colleagues in the Senate.
“Wala akong nakikitang epekto (I don’t see any effect). Hindi naman ako apektado dahil ‘di naman ako [taga-]ABS-CBN (I am not affected because I am not from ABS-CBN),” he said.
“Wala akong nakikitang epekto dahil kung sasabihin niyo mawalan din ng news, meron naman din ‘yong ibang mga ibang news outfits na nagpe-perform (I don’t see any impact, because, if you will say that we will lose sources of news, there are other news outfits that could perform). So, wala akong nakitang epekto, sa akin (I don’t see any effect),” he reiterated.
This man has no empathy. What else would you expect from a man who said about an infant killed during police operations, "Shit happens?"
“Ressa is a fraud. Believe me. Give us time. [It’s] too early for you to enjoy your awards. You are a fraud. We are just compiling [information] at this stage and someday in bold letters, we will show your incongruity,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino, in a speech aired early Wednesday.
And without mentioning anyone, he warned that: “One of these days, we will also judge you in the same way and with more ferocity. And it will come, it will come… Just be careful.”
“I have some folders given to me all throughout the years. You will have a dose of your own medicine one of these days. I’m not threatening you. Go ahead and expose anything about corruption in this government. As I said, if that’s big, I will resign,” he added.
Who is "We?" Who has given Duterte folders and what do they contain? What does any of this have to do with the Office of the President? He has said such nonsense before about telephone conversations of his enemies being recorded and given to him by a foreign power. Nothing came of those alleged recordings and likely nothing will come of this.
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