Retards in the Government 191

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

 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/21/21/ex-cop-wanted-for-murder-killed-in-bulacan-shootout

A former member of the country's police force was killed in a shootout with members of the Philippine National Police - Anti-Kidnapping Group in San Rafael, Bulacan Thursday. 

In a statement, the PNP-AKG said they were set to arrest the suspect, ex-PO2 Rolando Basmayor Jr., for murder when he fired at them. 

The authorities retaliated, which led to Basmayor's death. 

Basmayor was indicted for the murder of Jaypee de Guzman in San Rafael, Bulacan in February 2020. 

The suspect, upon learning of the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, hid in Isabela and Pampanga for almost a year.

The PNP-AKG also said Basmayor was involved in a series of killings in Region 3 as a member of a gun-for-hire group.

Another ex-cop wanted for murder killed in a shoot out with his former colleagues.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1386962/dilg-exec-hits-lenient-process-of-fund-withdrawal-in-barangays

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin  Diño on Friday said more barangay officials will be suspended for corruption as he hit the lenient process of withdrawal of funds at the barangay level. 

 (We are now looking into how barangays handle their funds and how they withdraw cash because we received complaints that with just a simple certification of the barangay captain, the treasurer can withdraw all the money in the bank. That’s why the release of names of the 89 officials is just the start).

 Diño explained that when he served as barangay captain, the withdrawal of funds underwent a more rigorous process, including securing a resolution from the barangay council that authorizes the barangay treasurer to withdraw funds from the bank.

 The resolution, he said, required the signature of barangay councilors. 

 (Without that resolution, the barangay treasurer cannot withdraw funds. But now, even without that document, with just a simple certification from the barangay captain that says there are available funds, the treasurer can withdraw from the depository bank. The liquidation will then follow at the end of the year.) 

 Diño noted that such a process is too lenient especially since many barangays do not properly liquidate funds, citing information from the Commission on Audit.

This is the everyday kind of hum-drum corruption that everyone turns a blind eye to and which keeps the Philippines down.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128103

A 55-year-old man in this city was killed on Thursday over a land dispute with the village chief in Barangay Pandan here.

 

In an interview, Maj. Arturo Melchor Jr., information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) identified the victim as Alfred Pasamic, a resident of Sitio Bolo, Barangay Pandan this city who allegedly got into a heated argument with Barangay Captain Timoteo Giron over a land dispute.

 

“They had a heated argument then they had (a) fistfight at noon today. Later on, the barangay captain allegedly called a companion whom he asked to shoot the victim several times in the different parts of his body,” he said.

 

The victim who sustained gunshot wounds was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, he added.

 

“Giron is now under the custody of the police but his companion is still at large (as of writing). A manhunt operation is still being conducted,” Melchor said.

A barangay captain had a heated dispute with a man over land that turned into a fistfight. Then he called a friend to shoot the man dead.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/24/21/ex-pampanga-vice-mayor-patay-sa-pamamaril

Two men, including the former vice mayor of Masantol, Pampanga, died after being shot by unidentified assailants in Angeles City, Saturday morning. 

Guard John Maverick Cunanan allegedly heard two consecutive gunshots while bathing in the office of their company Blue Gems Security Agency in Barangay Pulung Maragul. 

Cunanan allegedly found Jorge Bustos III, 46-year-old operations manager of Blue Gems and former vice mayor of Masantol, and Erick Cariaga, of Quezon City, bloody and lifeless. 

According to Cunanan, the victims arrived at the office at 9 am and there was no one else in the building besides them. 

Police are already reviewing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.

Another ex-vice mayor assassinated.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1386283/diokno-other-bsp-officials-face-graft-complaints-in-relation-to-philippine-id-cards

A group opposed to corruption in government has filed a complaint at the Ombudsman against officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), led by Governor Benjamin Diokno, for an allegedly anomalous contract with a foreign company for equipment and materials to produce Philippine Identification Cards (PhilID) under the National ID System.

Ricardo V. Fulgencio IV, chair of the group Stop Corruption Philippines Inc. (SCOPI) which filed the complaints, said the bidding process for equipment and materials for PhilID cards was flawed because the bids and awards committee (BAC) of the BSP Security Plant Complex (BSP-SPC), which is in charge of procuring materials for the cards, specified a brand name—OVD Kinegram AD—which was prohibited by procurement laws.

Fulgencio said specifications in the BSP’s technical specifications and terms of reference “show a specific reference to a brand name—that of Kinegram.”

He said the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) provided that “reference to brand names shall not be allowed,” which was contrary to what he said was what BSP-SPC did.

“Specifying any brand name is not allowed by the GPRA,” Fulgencio said in the complaints.

Fulgencio said the officials favored and gave unwarranted benefits to OVD Kinegram AD and awarded the contract for PhilIDs without public bidding.

He said the P1.75 billion contract had been awarded in violation of procurement rules.

“This nefarious act was embedded in the lease of card production equipment and lease of card personalization equipment,” Fulgencio said.

“In simple words, OVD Kinegram AG won a multimillion contract…without going through the required public bidding,” he said.

BSP Governor Diokno and several others for corruption in procuring a contact for ID cards because the company awarded the contract did not go through the proper bidding process.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128441

A member of the town council in Pinabacdao, Samar was gunned down by an unknown assailant Monday morning.

Police identified the victim as Sammy Lagario, 50, a current member of the Sangguniang Bayan and former chief of Barangay (village) Parasanon.

Sketchy report reaching the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office here disclosed that the victim was driving a motorcycle heading to the town hall to attend a session  when a gunman attacked him in Laygayon village around 9:25 a.m. 

His back rider Robert Balundo, also a town councilor, was unhurt during the shooting, according to the PNP.

Another town councilor has been assassinated but it might have been the work of the NPA rather than a politically motivated hit or an act of petty vengeance. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1389098/ex-pnr-exec-convicted-of-graft-for-anomalous-purchase-of-rail-fastenings

A former official of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) was convicted of graft for facilitating the anomalous purchase of rail fastenings and other various rail items.

In a decision dated January 22,  ex-PNR general manager Manuel Andal was found liable by the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when he entered into a contract with two companies without prior approval from the then secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

According to the anti-graft court, Andal violated procurement laws after he authorized the procurement of 170,000 sets of rail fastenings and 50,000 clips and insulators from Pandrol Korea, and 50,000 sets of anti-vandal concrete sleepers from Nikka Trading, both in 2009.

Andal was found guilty for two counts of graft: one for procuring the items from Pandrol Korea while disregarding procurement processes, and another for purchasing similar items from Nikka Trading.

Another ex-offical convicted of graft over anomalous purchases.