Retards in the Government 212

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

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1448304/minors-death-in-laguna-drug-raid-prompts-probe-10-cops-held

Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar on Saturday ordered 10 Biñan City policemen disarmed and placed in restrictive custody pending investigation of allegations that they summarily killed a 16-year-old boy and his adult companion. 

Eleazar said the officers underwent paraffin tests and their firearms subjected to ballistic examination after the officers reported a shootout with the teen, Jhondy Maglinte, and his companion Antonio Dalit, in Biñan, Laguna, on Wednesday night. 

He appealed to relatives of the two and witnesses who claimed there was no shootout to cooperate in the investigation. “We cannot find the truth and we cannot attain justice if we remain silent,” he said. 

The 10 officers led by Laguna intelligence chief Police Capt. Fernando Credo were supposed to serve a warrant of arrest in Barangay Canlalay against Dalit, 40, a drug suspect who was said to be one of the 10 Most Wanted by the Laguna police. But he and Maglinte allegedly “fought back” and were killed in the exchange of fire with the police. 

Recovered at the scene were two .38-caliber revolvers, which police said belonged to Maglinte and Dalit, as well 50 grams of “shabu” (crystal meth) in sachets worth P340,000, a weighing scale, drug paraphernalia and P3,500 cash. 

But the family of Maglinte denied the police report that Dalit fought back, saying he did not own a gun and did not know how to shoot. 

In a television interview on Friday, Maglinte’s aunt, Nylla, said that according to witnesses the teen had seen Dalit being gunned down by the officers and he tried to run away but was caught. The witnesses saw Maglinte, already in handcuffs, pleading to the officers not to kill him as he was shot, she said. 

“I just want justice to be served for my nephew. Whether he had done something wrong or not, they should not have killed him. He begged for them to spare his life but they still killed him brutally,” she said.

It is not yet clear what happened but witnesses say the PNP gunned down a 16 year old and his 40 year old companion during a drug raid. For now ten cops are being held in the local jail. PNP Chief Eleazar has admitted that their are continual lapses during operations but assures the public that they have been addressed.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/21/2106968/dof-hires-fake-facebook-account-operator

The Department of Finance (DOF) has hired the services of a communications strategist whose social media pages were taken down by Facebook for conducting manipulative activities online.

In a notice of award dated June 10, the DOF announced it granted a contract worth P909,122 to public relations strategist Nicanor Gabunada Jr.

The contract will run from June 16 to Dec. 15, and will allow Gabunada to serve as the DOF’s communications strategy consultant.

The position entails coming up with research information that can improve the DOF’s approach in explaining fiscal policies to the public.

In 2019, Gabunada was singled out by Facebook for allegedly operating around 200 Facebook pages, accounts and groups that are linked to spreading disinformation online.

As a consequence, FB shut down these pages for violating its community standards.

Gabunada spearheaded the social media campaign that helped President Duterte win the 2016 presidential elections. A marketing executive from Davao, Gabunada used to head the research and business analysis team of TV network ABS-CBN, which was shut down under the Duterte administration.

Why would the DOF hire a man known for spreading disinformation and who spearheaded Duterte's 2016 social media campaign to spread information about the state of the Philippine economy to citizens?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1450425/deputy-city-prosecutor-slain-in-apayao-gun-attack

The deputy prosecutor of the City of Ilagan in Isabela province was shot and killed Wednesday by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Conner town, Apayao province, police said.

Lawyer Victor Begtang Jr. was already near his house in Barangay Malama when the assailants shot him while he was inside his car.

The Deputy Prosecutor of Ilagan City was assassinated by unknown men for unknown reasons.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1144723

The Sandiganbayan has found three officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) liable for corruption in connection with anomalies in the awarding of a government contract for medicines worth over PHP5 million in Cotabato City in 2001.

In a recent decision, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division convicted former DSWD regional director Kunesa Sedik Sekak, and social welfare officers Fatima Abobakas and Jesus Enjambre Flores for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019) and sentenced them to up to eight years in prison.

They were also found liable for the PHP5.781 million, equivalent to the value of the contract illegally awarded by them as the bids and awards committee of DSWD Field Office 12 and were found guilty of awarding the contract to Pharmazel Inc. without public bidding and giving unwarranted benefit, advantage and preference to the firm.

The case against a fourth accused, Bai Monerah Abas-Asim, was dismissed after she died before the termination of the proceedings.

“There was evident bad faith and manifest partiality on the accused when they did not conduct a public bidding despite the knowledge that it was required under the circumstances,” the court said.

Three DSWD employees have been found guilty of anomalous practices in awarding a contract without a bid. A fourth employee had the charges dismissed because she died before the proceedings ended. The case stems from actions in 2001.