It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1458011/barangay-captain-wounded-in-camsur-shooting |
A barangay captain was wounded in a shooting incident in San Fernando, Camarines Sur Friday night.
Police Colonel Bernardo Perez, Camarines Sur police chief, reported that Cesar Hufancia, 35, was shot and wounded while attending a wake in Barangay Rizal at around 9:30 p.m.
He sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and was brought to hospital.
The gunman is now the subject of a manhunt.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/07/10/2111478/coa-flags-afp-over-p18-billion-unauthorized-bank-accounts |
The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) over its failure to close 20 unauthorized bank accounts with a total balance of P1.813 billion.
In its 2020 annual audit report on the AFP general headquarters (AFP-GHQ) released yesterday, the COA said that under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, all government agencies are directed to close down and revert to the national treasury all the balances of their special accounts, fiduciary or trust funds and revolving funds “when there is no legal basis for their creation.”
The COA said the bank accounts were maintained without the required authority from the Permanent Committee, which was created under the Administrative Code of 1987 and is composed of the finance and budget secretaries as chairpersons and COA officials as members.
The COA said the AFP’s unauthorized bank accounts are maintained with the Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank and United Coconut Planters Bank.
The COA’s breakdown showed that AFP Modernization Act Trust Fund-Central Office (AFPMATF) was responsible for three unauthorized bank accounts with a total balance of P1.346 billion; the AFP Educational Benefit System Office, eight bank accounts with a balance of P347.483 million; AFP Real Estate Office, with two bank accounts with a balance of P84.362 million and the GHQ Central Office with seven bank accounts with a balance of P37.744 million.
The COA noted that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez wrote a letter dated June 19, 2020 to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana recommending that he order the closure of the AFPMATF bank accounts and remit to the national treasury the outstanding balances.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1459345/coa-flags-afp-for-failure-to-remit-p469m-to-treasury |
In its 2020 audit report on the AFP General Headquarters, COA noted that the P469.12 million consisting of donations, interest income, scholarship fund and other unused funding was still deposited in banks.
The unutilized funds included P2.17 million that was supposed to go to the payment of rewards and other claims and P33.7 million for allowances.
The COA called out the AFP for its failure to remit the funds and also flagged it for P130.178 million worth of disbursements without the required documents.
According to COA, the disbursements were used for the purchase of various military, police and traffic supplies from the procurement service of the Department of Budget and Management.
It observed that the payments for the repairs and maintenance of facilities in the AFP central command lacked official receipts.
The AFP has an additional P469 million hidden away that needs to be refunded to the treasury. The AFP says they are working on it.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146551 |
Local authorities are set to file charges against 10 policemen of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) for presenting fake negative swab test results while trying to enter this city.
Maj. Shellamie Chang, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, said Friday this was based on the recommendation of the City Legal Officer upon the request for legal advice of the Zamboanga City Police Office’s (ZCPO) Station 11.
Chang said the 10 policemen tried to enter this city with fake swab test results coming from the cities of Isabela and Lamitan in Basilan and Sulu, respectively.
City Tourism Officer Sarita Sebastian earlier said the policemen were intercepted on Monday after the fake swab test results were discovered by her personnel and the City Health Office during profiling.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146563 |
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the suspension of five officials of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Registry of Deeds (RD)-Taguig for conspiring to legitimize cloud on titles of over 18,000 square meters of prime real estate within Bonifacio Global City (BGC).
In an order dated June 23, Ombudsman Samuel Martires ruled to suspend for six months without pay LRA Legal Service Director Rhandolfo Amansec, Docket Division chief Joel Mari Martin Bigornia, and Micrographics and Computer Division chief Ser John Pastrana.
Also suspended were Taguig RD’s Dorylene Yara and Ron Jacob Merced, a records officer.
The Ombudsman said it "found sufficient ground to preventively suspend respondents considering that there is strong evidence showing their guilt" and that "the charges against them for gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service may warrant their removal from the service (and that) their continued stay in office may prejudice the investigation of the case filed against them”.
Amansec, Bigornia, and Yara approved the confirmation of a group of transfer certificate of titles (TCTs), known as the Vizcarra titles, covering 18,000 square meters of prime real estate in BGC even if the documents lacked credible evidence affirming authenticity.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1900397/Tacloban/Local-News/Barangay-captain-shot-dead-in-Northern-Samar |
A 37-YEAR-OLD barangay captain was shot and killed in Las Navas, Northern Samar Saturday, July 10, 2021, police said.The victim was identified as Crispin Nale Mordido, chairman of Barangay San Andres, Las Navas.According to the initial report, an unidentified group of gunmen shot the victim around 12:40 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Lourdes of the said town.He was hit in the different parts of his body which caused his instantaneous death.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146985 |
Police authorities in Sarangani are investigating the alleged pointing of gun by a police official in Kiamba town to violators of the face mask policy.
Col. Michael Lebanan, Sarangani police director, said Wednesday they are currently gathering the necessary information regarding the incident involving acting Kiamba police station chief, Maj. Rolan Catoburan, in an operation last July 10.
He was referring to a complaint from civilian June Comanda, a resident of Tual in Barangay Poblacion, who claimed that the police official pointed a handgun at him and several other persons after they were rounded up for not wearing face masks.
Lebanan said he instructed their investigators to look into the incident and gather statements from witnesses.
Comanda, a fisherman, said in a phone interview that he was returning to his home around 3 p.m. last July 10 when he was accosted by policemen led by Catoburan for failing to wear a face mask.
The police team came to Purok San Francisco, Barangay Poblacion over a reported gambling activity involving a basketball game, he said.
After being rounded up on orders from Catuboran, Comanda admitted questioning the official for apprehending them over the face mask violation when he was not wearing one himself.
“That was when he fumed, pulled out a handgun, and pointed it to us,” he said, alleging that the police official reeked of liquor at that time.
Comanda said they were then brought to the Kiamba municipal police station and given a choice to either pay a fine or perform a song and dance number.
He said they chose the performance option and were released after singing four songs.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1146891 |
Two personnel of the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) in Agusan del Norte were charged with murder after they were implicated in the killing of a fisherman in Cabadbaran City on Monday.
In a statement Tuesday, Police Regional Office-Caraga (PRO-13) director, Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. identified the police personnel as Senior Master Sgt. Rizyl B. Torricer, 34, and Pat. Ariel Jay M. Panes, 26.
“The subject police personnel were tagged in the fatal shooting of Ikiel A. Kintanar, 31, a fisherman and a resident of Barangay Calibunan, Cabadbaran City,” Caramat said.
He added that the killing of Kintanar took place on Monday afternoon off the coast in Cabadbaran City while the suspects were on seaborne patrol and confronted a group of local fishermen in the area.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1459500/75-rouge-cops-dismissed-from-service-since-march-eleazar |
Seventy-five police officers were dismissed from the service since March for involvement in various offenses, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday.PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar said the 75 ordered dismissed by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) were part of 166 erring police officers who had received sanctions. Of this number, 48 officers were demoted in ranks while 43 were suspended.
Eleazar, who serves as an ex-officio member of the Napolcom, said the sanctions imposed on the erring personnel prove that the “mechanisms to discipline policemen is working.”
“These 166 police scalawags who were sanctioned are proof that the police organization does not tolerate any wrongdoing or criminal involvement of our men,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar also noted that the administrative cases filed against the 166 “police scalawags” went through a thorough investigation and due process.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/388151/coa-flags-cebu-citys-purchase-of-p90m-covid-test-kits-machine |
State auditors flagged down the purchase of RT-PCR test machine and kits, and Rapid Antibody Test Kits made by the Cebu City Government that amounted to around P90 million.
This was contained in the 259-page 2020 Annual Audit Report for the City of Cebu that was recently released by the Commission on Audit (COA).
In its report, COA mentioned eight significant observations, one of which was the purchase of the test machines and the test kits.
A copy of the report dated June 14, 2021 and signed by Regional Director Marilou Rizzari was furnished to reporters.
In its report, the state auditing body questioned the procurement of RT-PCR machine and testing kits that cost P18 million and P29 million respectively.
They also pointed out that the city’s purchase of 1,670 boxes of Rapid Antibody Test Kits, totaling P43 million, could not be considered under “emergency procurement modality.”
COA also noted other irregularities in the purchase of the COVID-19 test kits and equipment.
They found out that the supplier of both the RT-PCR and rapid antibody test kits, a certain Novus Avenir Pharmaceutical based in Marilao, Bulacan, has only acquired its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Certification in July 2020, or months after the procurement was made.
The sale of both types of COVID-19 test kits and the RT-PCR test machine to Cebu City transpired between March to April.
State auditors also discovered questionable details on the documents for the acquisition and delivery of the testing machine and kits.
“The Request for Quotation (RFQ) and PO (Purchase Order) were both dated March 25, 2020, and delivery was also on the same data, as shown in the Delivery Receipt,” COA said.
“Same-day delivery is not possible since the supplier is from Marilao, Bulacan. There being no airport in Bulacan, travel destination would be from Bulacan to Manila by land and Manila to Cebu by plane,” it added.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/07/14/2112482/dilg-pushes-raps-vs-officials-destruction-protected-watershed-areas |
The Department of the Interior and Local Government recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against government officials and private entities for their continued violation of environmental laws in the protected watershed areas of San Roque in Baras, Rizal.
The department's recommendation came in a letter addressed to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force where the DILG slammed what it said was the illegal entry, illegal logging, and encroachment of a private resort and other infrastructure within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape in Rizal.
“What is also appalling and alarming is the large-scale cutting of trees and kaingin activities covering more than 16 hectares in multiple sections of UMRBPL. Several new structures were also erected in the areas where the trees were burned,” he said.
"They are already subjugating the environment, they still rule the area and do not follow the authorities and the laws to protect the environment," he also said in Filipino.
The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a petition filed by former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commissioner Cecilia Rachel "Coco" V. Quisumbing questioning the Office of the Ombudsman's 2014 decision dismissing her from government service on bribery and misconduct charges.
In a decision written by Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan and recently made available online, the SC's First Division concurred with Sept. 24, 2014 memorandum of then executive secretary Paquito Ochoa and the October 1, 2014 memorandum of then CHR chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales, which implemented the Ombudsman's August 28, 2014 joint resolution imposing on Quisumbing the penalty of dismissal from government service.
Quisumbing, a former television newscaster, was a CHR commissioner when she was administratively charged with direct bribery, grave misconduct, and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in several complaint-affidavits filed by members of her staff.
According to the complainants Ma. Regina D. Eugenio, Elizabeth Diego-Buizon, Alexander B. Fernandez, and Jesse K. Ayuste, Quisumbing was often cruel, imperious, and disrespectful to her staff. Quisumbing had a tendency to scream at her staff whenever she was addressed incorrectly or her instructions were not followed to the letter.
Furthermore, Quisumbing would sometimes issue illegal or improper orders to her staff, including ordering Eugenio to falsify the total number of undistributed T-shirts made for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and ordered her staff to turn over their salary ATM cards to her.
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