It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1375925/2-qc-cops-demoted-for-unlawful-arrest-searching-without-warrants |
Two police officers were demoted over a grave misconduct case, which stemmed from complaints of unlawful arrest and conduct of search without proper warrants, the city government said on Friday.
In a statement, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said Patrolmen Zaldy Mejos Jr. and Julie Boison received a penalty of one-rank demotion based on a decision of the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) District 1 of Quezon City.
The policemen were demoted after they received the complaint of a certain Marissa Torres, who accused that the two policemen searched her house and arrested her without proper warrants issued by the court on January 19, 2019.
The policemen denied the charges, saying they were on foot patrol when they received a report that Torres was carrying a firearm.
Boison said he found a nozzle of a suspected firearm inside the sling bag at Torres’ sari-sari store. This prompted the police officers to search inside Torres’ residence.
Police officers then arrested Torres after they discovered a firearm and suspected narcotics inside the victim’s house. Torres, however, said the gun and illegal drugs were planted evidence.
Under the QC PLEB decision, police conducted the warrantless arrest. It also said the search and seizure done by the respondent policemen “cannot be justified under the plain view doctrine.”
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1375994/sc-fines-cabanatuan-judge-in-baguio-traffic-feud |
A judge in Cabanatuan City was found guilty of simple misconduct by the Supreme Court when he charged traffic enforcers here with indirect contempt after they cited him for parking violations last year.
Judge Nelson Largo of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 3 in Cabanatuan was also directed by the high court’s first division to pay P11,000 in fine. The Supreme Court acted on a complaint filed by Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, after Largo subpoenaed enforcer Bernard Batnag and the police officers for giving him a ticket for illegal parking at the city market and for removing his license plates on Oct. 25 last year.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1376001/palawan-town-residents-want-mayor-7-councilors-out-due-to-loss-of-confidence |
A group of residents of Narra town in Palawan province has filed a recall petition against sitting Mayor Crispin Lumba Jr. and seven municipal councilors, citing “loss of confidence” due to poor public service.Guillermo Aficial, president of the Sulong sa Pagbabago Bangon Narra and supporters of suspended Mayor Gerandy Danao, said they had so far gathered 28,495 signatures to back their petition for a recall election against Lumba and the seven Sangguniang Bayan members. “We lost our trust in them,” said Aficial in a phone interview, pointing out instances of unmet social welfare needs by those severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“During the pandemic, [Danao] climbed mountains to distribute food aids. Unlike now, [with Lumba], everything is self-serving,” Aficial claimed.
The supporters of Danao filed the recall petition against the suspended mayor’s political detractors, who were behind the administrative raps that resulted in Danao’s 20-month suspension after the Provincial Board pronounced him guilty of various counts of grave misconduct, gross negligence, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.
The complaints were filed by Lumba and majority of the Narra SB members. An appeal to reconsider Danao’s suspension is now pending before the Office of the President.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1376700/cop-shot-dead-in-cagayan-de-oro-city |
A 42-year-old policeman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen past 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 26, in Barangay Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City.
Police Captain Julius Saluta, chief of the Agora police station in Cagayan de Oro City, said Patrolman Roy Aguas just left his boarding house in Lapasan village on a motorcycle when he was shot by the gunmen who were aboard a motorcycle as he approached a vulcanizing shop.
“He was about to park near a vulcanizing shop when men riding in tandem suddenly appeared and shot him,” Saluta said.
Aguas died after being shot five times to the head, police said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1376763/p2-7b-in-sea-games-funds-still-unexplained |
“[Financial assistance] released to Phisgoc and POC in 2019 in the total amount of P1,815,169,762.67 [and] P535,413,045.56, respectively … remained unliquidated as of year-end despite completion of the intended purpose,” the Commission on Audit (COA) said in a report.
In addition, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) also “granted additional [assistance] to Phisgoc from Jan. 29, 2020, to June 19, 2020, in the total amount of P417,546,728.08 despite nonliquidation of previous assistance, thus further increasing Phisgoc’s unliquidated accounts to P2,232,716,490.75.”
But when the PSC demanded that the two groups submit liquidation reports, Phisgoc replied on June 25 that the PSC should first remit unreleased monies to Phisgoc so that it could settle balances with contractors and suppliers before they submit their fund utilization report.
The COA replied: “It is expected that related expenses were already paid/settled by Phisgoc and POC. As such, there is no reason to wait for the remaining support from the PSC because the same are intended for other purposes.”
State auditors also said they were unable to establish the financial stability of Phisgoc to handle the SEA Games because Phisgoc was only incorporated on July 2, 2018, as a nonstock profit corporation.
In its audit, the COA noted that of the P305,117,477.56 in financial assistance released to 51 different national sports associations (NSAs), P256,968,475.84 remain unliquidated as of July 31.
But the NSAs, in their replies to demand letters, cited difficulties in complying with the requirements due to lockdown measures, while 18 NSAs did not even bother to reply to the demand letters.
Billions of pesos remain unliquidated and unremitted to the government. Some agencies the COA sent letters to said the lockdown measures have hampered efforts to liquidate the money and some did not even respond!
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1377055/duterte-names-lawmakers-allegedly-linked-to-corruption |
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday bared the names of lawmakers included in the list made by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission’s (PACC) of government officials allegedly involved in corruption.
Before reading their names, the President noted that inclusion in the list does not mean there is hard evidence against them.
“The public should be aware that there is no hard evidence, that it cannot be translated by just reading the names that they are already guilty because presumption of innocence would like all throughout until conviction or acquittal,” Duterte said in a pre-recorded speech.
“I just want to assure everybody that yung pagbasa sa pangalan ninyo is a condemnation or indictment that you are guilty of something. In the same manner that I would tell people, do not take it as gospel truth na totoo talaga ito,” he went on.
After mentioning their names, Duterte said: “You are relieved tomorrow…By noontime, you should be talking with your boss.”Nevertheless, the chief executive said that he was presuming the innocence of the district engineers he mentioned in his speech.
“These engineers that I mentioned, I do not condemn you, I give you the presumption of innocence just like the congressmen. It just so happens that your name cropped up in the investigation,” Duterte said.
He added that he would order the reorganization of the assignments of district engineers.
Just like the solons he named Duterte says these engineers are presumed innocent. So why publicly name them and fire them?
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2020/12/30/2067037/cop-shot-dead-cavite |
A police officer was gunned down in Dasmariñas City, Cavite on Monday afternoon.
S/Sgt. Roseman Batao was fixing his Toyota Hi-Ace in front of his house in Barangay Datu Esmael at around 2:20 p.m. when three men arrived in a car and shot the victim several times, according to a report of the Cavite police.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125933 |
A police officer assigned in Central Visayas is now in hot water after he tested positive for shabu during a random drug test, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Debold Sinas said Tuesday.
Sinas said Corporal Manuel Alconten Paez will undergo investigation and administrative proceedings by the PNP Internal Affairs Service.
Paez, 42, assigned at the Regional Police Recruitment Unit-7 under the Police Recruitment Service (PRS), turned out positive for shabu during mandatory drug testing by the Regional Crime Laboratory 7 in Cebu City on December 17.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/770010/dilg-issues-show-cause-order-vs-laoag-city-mayor-over-alleged-istmas-gathering/story/ |
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday issued a show cause order against Laoag City Mayor Michael Keon over a Christmas gathering that he supposedly organized.
In a statement, DILG said the photos of the Christmas gathering, which is prohibited amid the threat of COVID-19, have circulated in social media.
“We received reports that a Christmas party was organized by the mayor together with other government and barangay officials,” DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said.
“Acting on these reports, the Secretary has directed the issuance of the SCO for the mayor to explain if he should be held administratively liable for violating health protocols,” he said.
According to Malaya, DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año has directed the issuance of the order against Keon for alleged violation of the prohibition against mass gathering and of minimum health standards during a pandemic.
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