Insurgency: Marawi Folk Demand 'Whole Truth' About Siege

It's about time. After 5 years of the Senate sitting on their butts doing nothing the citizens of Marawi have finally called for an investigation into what happened before, during, and after the siege. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1601614/marawi-folk-demand-whole-truth-about-siege

Five years after the war that left Marawi City in ruins, leaders of civil society and families displaced in the siege by Islamic State (IS) terrorists were still demanding answers from the national government as to what exactly happened in the run-up to and during the five months of fighting that destroyed its main commercial center.

With the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte winding down without giving Maranaos the answers they sought, it would be up to presumptive President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “to revisit “ the events that led to the Marawi siege and to “set the tone for starting things right,” said Saripada Pacasum Jr. of Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch.

Pacasum noted that in the past five years, people who have “untold stories” about the siege have been keeping information to themselves for fear of backlash, even as they have pictures and videos to back up their tales, which mainly showed that the terrorists’ takeover of the city could have been aborted, and of the massive looting that followed.

“All are afraid to talk,” Pacasum, who was Lanao del Sur’s disaster risk reduction and management officer during the siege, told the program Alerto Bangsamoro over DxMS radio in Cotabato City on Monday.

“We should have an avenue for this [airing out]. We don’t want for [people’s] pent-up anger to linger and … another siege to happen,” Pacasum explained.

It's funny that these people are only now finally asking for the truth especially when they knew exactly what was happening before it happened. In an an interview in 2018 ARMM assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong admired that the people knew ISIS was in the area and something was brewing. 

"Well actually we already, all of the people in Marawi City, in the entire province, already knew that there was a group fashioning themselves after ISIS. We knew about the Maute brothers but it's like a phantom. They're like a phantom.  You know that there's a group but you don't actually know the individual members of this group. So it was more of a distant, say for example, you feel their presence but you don't actually know where they are. So that's why they're like phantom. They come and go and even before the Butig attack they were already harassing non-Marano residents in the city accordingly they even admitted to this hostilities, this harassment against non-Marano residents in the city. 

So it's more of like knowing them but not knowing exactly who are the members. That's why when they came out on the 23rd everyone was really surprised. Even in the family they never expected that one family member has actually joined the group. In our case, I give an example, there was this kid in our neighbourhood who used to go to our place because his mom used to do laundry for us and on the attack that's the only time that we learned that this kid of 14 years old was actually joined, has been a member of the Maute for several years since 2011. He was recruited in 2011."      

Like Bato's answer about not knowing the specific time of the attack, Adiong's answer about not knowing specially who are the individual members of the Maute group is irrelevant. Actually he contradicts himself when he says first, they were like a phantom and then they were harassing residents. Phantoms don't harass people. Whoever was being harassed saw these people face to face. The presence of Maute was known and if it was known by all of the people in Marawi City and the entire province then you can bet all the politicans also knew.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2018/05/intelligence-failures-and-prior.html 

Presidential Adviser to the Peace Process Jesus Dureza concurs on this matter and says that the citizens of Marawi knew what was going on.

"When martial law ... Marawi because many people were shocked, people from Marawi, even the Moro people. They never thought that they themselves wold become victims of violent extremists. They knew that many are members of their own clan.  They know them. They knew that they were moving firearms for a long time, they had been stockpiling up firearms. But when I asked the evacuees "Bakit di nyo sinabi yan?" (Why didn't you tell us?) "Sir, akala namin, kapwa Muslim hindi kami bibiktimahin" (We thought they would spare us because we are also Muslims).” 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2018/05/intelligence-failures-and-prior.html 

These people knew what was going on but declined to speak up because they thought they would be spared because they are also Muslims. As we all know now no one was spared.

Back to the article:

Maranao activist Drieza Lininding, chair of Moro Consensus Group, said setting the record straight about the siege was best done through a congressional inquiry.

Two years ago, Lininding had urged the Senate to undertake such a probe, especially after Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the siege could have been prevented had the country already had the Anti-Terrorism Law in place.

Lininding had blamed state security forces for failing to flex their muscles in time to prevent the siege as they already knew such intention by the brothers Abdullah and Omar Khayyam Maute. Three months before the war in Marawi, the Maute band had laid siege on Butig town, over 50 km away.

During the war, when government forces worked to flush out the terrorists from the city, displaced families took issue with the alleged looting of their houses.

What was highlighted in news reports were those done by IS militants. But Pacasum said that even in houses in so-called “safe zones,” which were supposedly under the control of the military and police, looting happened.

Books written about the siege, such as “The Battle of Marawi” by Criselda Yabes and “Marawi Siege: Stories from the Frontlines” by Carmela Fonbuena, mentioned incidents of looting.

“We cannot remain quiet with these issues,” Pacasum said on Monday, on the fifth anniversary of the start of the siege.

Two years ago this activist lobbied the Senate to investigate the siege and they did nothing! That's the "doing nothing" I meant in the opening sentence of this article. The only Senator who advocated investigating what happened was Trillanes and no one acted on his resolution.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/654354/trillanes-wants-senate-probe-on-why-how-marawi-siege-happened/story/

“There should be joint efforts between the Department of National Defense and other government agencies to assess the lessons, including lapses on the part of the government, why the battle between the government forces and the terrorists lasted for five months,” Trillanes said.

He said the government knew about the threat months before Maute-ISIS bandits attacked the city. Duterte, he said, even challenged the Maute group to burn Marawi.

An investigation into the deadliest terror attack in the nation should have been a no brainer but it seems these Senators have no brains. While they did investigate hazing not a finger was lifted to uncover the truth about Marawi.

Trillanes is absolutely correct that the government had prior knowledge of the siege. I compiled a video of officials admitting this fact. 

But from reading this article it seems the citizens of Marawi are more concerned about looting committed by government troops than they are about the causes of the siege. Sure looting happened and that is bad but there are worse things that happened. Author Criselda Yabes in her book about the siege relates that AFP troops massacred terrorists who had surrendered and the news crews accompanying them willingly covered this up!

Basically hostages and terrorists who had surrendered were being prepared to be taken out of the building when all of a sudden a rebel on the rooftop started spraying machine gun fire. In the resulting chaos all of the surrendering terrorists were slaughtered in an act of vengeance.

Tell me what happened in Ten-Ten, I ask him. 

He muttered the worthlessness of the human security act, a toothless law that the military says made it difficult for them to keep terrorists behind bars. The rebels who fought them will be the same rebels they will have to fight again in the future - that was how they judged their dilemma. The law might take too many long turns before justice was meted out.

p. 202

No you don't understand, I was told when I made the rounds asking some officers about this particular incident. If you had been there for five months, you would have done the same, you would have wanted them dead if you had seen what they did to our men. You don't know what it's like to see bodies of soldiers burnt and mutilated, to watch comrades die, to feel the loss and pain of wounds. 

p. 203

And how did senior commanders respond to this incident? By covering it up and asking television reporters who had video of the incident to not report it!

When senior commanders radioed to inquire what went on, the response was, tapos na. It's over. The deed was done. What did that mean, exactly? There was no sanction from the seniors; apparently it had spiraled out of control. There was a breakdown in discipline. WestMinCom privately asked a couple of television reporters, who managed to obtain snippets of other footage showing the gang-style thrashing, to withhold airing them. These were the videos, one text message said from one senior commander to another, "dat wud destroy the gud image we had worked so hard in Liberating Marawi." 

p. 202

AFP soldiers callously massacred surrendering rebels and the top brass covered it up. Which television reporters acquiesced to their requests to participate in that cover-up? Those reporters are also complicit.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-review-battle-of-marawi-reveals.html 

Not only did this get covered up but the some soldiers filed false reports.

When I began writing the first draft of this book in July 2019, I knew I had more than enough to go by and yet, I could have also carried on searching for other lower-ranking officers down to the corporals and the privates who were at the frontlines. Every target, every objective, every major incident in the battle area was worth a book in itself. I wish the Armed Forces wold invest in such an undertaking without self-censorship, to have a better understanding of what went right or wrong. Each unit has an After-Review Report, as officially required, but in some cases it didn’t always match with the truth (how boldly they could defy their seniors!) For the first time in covering a major military event, I had to take detours at length and dig elsewhere for more accuracy. One officer joked that it would take me ten years to get to the bottom of everything. 

Notes From the Author

Such an accusation is a bombshell and only underscores the absolute need for a Senate-formed Marawi Commission to investigate what happened in the lead up to and during the siege. 

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/09/book-review-battle-of-marawi-reveals.html 

Everything about the Marawi siege from the lead up to the lingering aftermath is a real horror show. The people deserve answers. An investigation would expose gaps in the Philippines security apparatus which could be properly addressed. To not investigate is to be complicit in a cover-up. It's too late for the Duterte administration to carry out an investigation and it's far from likely that the incoming Marcos administration will care enough to launch one. For now the truth about the Marawi siege will have to lie buried.

Hi, My Name Is...24

It's once more time to meet some more interesting folks in the Philippines. Let's say hello and listen to their stories.

Hi, my name is Mel Carlo Villanueva. I was out driving when I bumped into a taxi. The driver proceeded to chase me as I sped off. During the chase I hit a motorcycle parked at a red light. The impact threw the rider into the pavement. But the motorcycle got stuck under my vehicle and I drove with it that way for 2 kilometers to my house. I was arrested seven hours later. Thankfully the lady that got tossed for her motorcycle only suffered minor injuries But thanks be to God I will not be going to jail or paying for my crimes because the victims, the taxi driver and motorcyclist, both settled with me on amicable terms.  

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/434317/hit-and-run-driver-drags-motorcycle-stuck-under-his-suv-to-his-home-2-km-away-nabbed

The hit and run driver, who literally dragged a motorcycle stuck under his Ford Everest from Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City to his home about 2 kilometers away in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, was arrested seven hours after the incident.

Police Major Nolan Tagsip, Abellana Police Station chief, said that the driver of the Ford Everest, Mel Carlo Villanueva, was trying to flee from a taxi driver, whom he bumped from behind along F. Sotto Drive in General Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City at past 2 a.m. this morning, April 7, when he slammed into a motorcycle driven by a female rider, along Fuente Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City.

Jeffrey Rosales, 31, a taxi driver, was chasing Villanueva then, who was driving the Ford Everest that bumped into Rosales’ taxi from behind. Rosales chased the SUV that Villanueva was driving after it sped off as Rosales got off his taxi to confront the SUV driver.

When the SUV reached Fuente Osmeña, Villanueva’s Ford Everest crashed into a motorcycle, who was not moving at that time as the female driver was waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

The impact threw the female driver from the motorcycle into the pavement while the motorcycle got stuck under the Ford Everest. The SUV driver did not stop to to check on the victim, and continued to flee the area despite the motorcycle stuck under his SUV, which he dragged from Fuente Osmeña Boulevard to the condominium parking lot where he lived in Barangay Guadalupe, about 2 kilometers away from the area where he collided with the motorcycle.

The taxi driver continued to chase the fleeing the Ford Everest with a motorcycle stuck under it — all the way to Barangay Guadalupe.

However, the taxi driver then stopped at the Guadalupe Police Station to seek help.

At about the same time in Fuente Osmeña Boulevard, emergency responders took care of the female driver and brought her to the Cebu City Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.

Tagsip identified the female motorcycle driver as Marne Capareda, 24, a resident of Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

He also said that Capareda only suffered minor injuries in the collision.

Tagsip also said that the taxi driver had already expressed his willingness to settle with the suspect and as for the female motorcycle driver, she had yet to decide if she would settle or not with the hit and run driver.

For his part, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office, said that should they have show proof that the suspect had the intention to hit the victims, then that would fall as a homicide case.

Hi, my name is Aljay Almanzor. I was attending a birthday party and was about to leave when I saw this guy I knew and had a beef with. So, I confronted him. We got into a fistfight and then all of sudden he pulled out a knife and stabbed me in the chest. Now I am dead.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/08/fistfight-stabbing-lead-to-mans-arrest-in-manila/

A 19-year-old man was arrested by operatives of the Sta. Ana Police Station 6 after stabbing another during an altercation in Sta.Ana, Manila on Thursday, April 7.

Police identified the victim as Aljay Almanzor, 18, and a resident of Brgy. 871, Pandacan in Manila, while the suspect was identified as Ryan Cariño, 19, a resident of Brgy. 791 in Sta. Ana, Manila.

Police Lt. Col. Orlando Mirando Jr. said that the incident happened at around 9:45 p.m. when Almanzor was about to go home after attending a birthday party. He saw Cariño and confronted him.

The confrontation resulted in a fistfight. Carino suddenly pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed the victim on his right chest.

Bystanders in the area witnessed the incident and immediately reported it to Brgy. 792.

Almanzor was rushed to Sta. Ana Hospital for treatment.

The suspect will be charged with frustrated homicide before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.

Hi, my name is Marcialito Biol Benitez. I was the ring leader of a green card visa scam in the USA. There were nine others involved and together we made millions of dollars. We arranged at least 400 marriages which cost between $20,000 and $30,000 per client. It's a standard scam in which I am not the first to be involved.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/203523/marriage-for-green-card-scam-6-pinoys-held-in-us

Six Filipino immigrants and five of their accomplices have been indicted by federal authorities for arranging at least 400 fake marriages and making millions of dollars from their business of securing green cards illegally for willing clients.

“These weddings were not love stories,” according to Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins, who announced the indictments on Thursday in Boston where one of the group’s alleged victims lived.

“These individuals committed multiple frauds on the United States government with the explicit goal of circumventing immigration laws,” Rollins said.

She identified the group’s ringleader as Marcialito Biol Benitez, 48, a Filipino national who operated an employment agency in Los Angeles as a front for arranged sham marriages that charged $20,000 to $30,000 in cash per client.

“You do the math, they easily made 8 million dollars,” Rollins said.

The other Filipinos identified as coconspirators of Benitez were Engilbert Ulan, 39; Niño Reyes Valmeo, 45; Harold Poquita, 30; Juanita Pacson, 45; and Felipe Capindo David, 49.

The five other accomplices were identified as Peterson Souza, 34; Devon Hammer, 26; Tamia Duckett, 25; Karina Santos, 24; and Casey Loya, 33. Souza is Brazilian and the rest are US citizens.

Hi, my name is Franklin John Abanilla. I used to live with this lady who I loved so much but sadly our relationship ended and she moved out. But I was not done with her. That's why I abducted her off the street and into my van where I tased her twice. However she screamed loud enough that some security guards came to see what was the matter. I sped off but the SWAT team caught me after a brief chase.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/15/businessman-arrested-for-trying-to-kidnap-ex-partner-in-paranaque-city/

Police arrested a businessman who allegedly tried to kidnap his former live-in partner in Parañaque City on Wednesday afternoon, April 13.

The suspect, identified as Franklin John Abanilla, 37, a resident of San Pedro, Laguna, was nabbed by members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of the Parañaque City Police. He is now detained at the city police custodial facility.

Abanila is facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act), and illegal possession of firearms in relation to Omnibus Election Code.

The police said the incident happened at about 4:00 p.m. along Bradco Avenue in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City.

Investigation showed the victim, Rugeline Ugat, 23, was dragged by the suspect into his van and shocked her twice with a taser gun.

Ugat struggled to free herself and shouted for help from Aseana security guards who called for police assistance.

The suspect tried to evade the responding members of SWAT but he was arrested and the victim was rescued after a brief chase.

Police recovered from the suspect a .9mm pistol loaded with six live bullets, one electric shock device, and a handcuff.

Hi, my name is Darrell Blatchley. I am a marine biologist based in Davao City. A rare whale species known as Hotaula Beaked washed up on the shoreline and later died. I was called to investigate the cause of death. It turns out that rather than help the beached whale back into the water it was tortured by locals. A politician paid P1,000 to ride the whale as it lay dying. After three days of torment the creature finally died and locals chopped it up for meat.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/15/22/rare-whale-dies-in-davao-oriental-after-abuse-by-locals

A rare whale species was found dead along the shoreline of Banaybanay town in Davao Oriental on Wednesday after it was allegedly maltreated by locals.

It was first found alive in the shallow seawater after it was stranded on a beachline on Sunday.

Davao City-based marine biologist Darrell Blatchley, who responded to determine the cause of whale’s death and to preserve its bones, said the 15-feet long female marine mammal is a Hotaula Beaked Whale.

“It is one of 20 or less ever seen in the whole world. It was only listed as a new whale in 2013,” he told ABS-CBN News.

Blatchley said nearby residents did not treat the whale well, which led to its death.

“The whale was an attraction for the days it was alive. Sadly, people in the area did not treat it with respect when it was alive,” Blatchley said

“In fact, it was reported to us that a politician paid P1,000 to the locals to ride the sick whale. We won't name the politician. They know who they are,” he added.

The whale was chopped up unceremoniously after three days of torment in the shoreline.

The necropsy of the whale is ongoing to determine the cause of its death.

Hi, my name is Marte Oppus Jr. Even though I am clearly guilty of a traffic violation which led to a man getting injured I won't face any consequences. I was out driving my jeepney when all of a sudden I needed a toilet. In my haste to find one I ended up hitting a traffic enforcer.  I told him I was very, very sorry and he took pity on me which led the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue decide not to press charges against me. The company I work for even agreed to pay the man's hospital bills and salary while he was away from work. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/434311/traffic-enforcer-forgives-driver-team-wont-pursue-charges

The driver of the modern jeepney, who accidentally hit a traffic enforcer with his vehicle in his haste to the nearest comfort room due to a bum stomach, will be able to drive again soon.

However, this will depend on the results of the CT scan and other laboratory tests of the injured traffic enforcer, Wolfram Jumaquin.

“If ma okay na after CT Scan, marelease ang driver’s license,” said Edwin Jumao-as, chief of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).

(If the CT scan results [of the victim] will be okay, then we will release his driver’s license.)

Jumao-as also agreed not to press charges against the driver, Marte Oppus Jr., after Jumaquin pitied the driver and forgave him for the accident.

With this development, Jumao-as said that they decided not to file a case of reckless imprudence resulting to physical injury against Oppus.

Aside from asking forgiveness, the driver also admitted that it was his fault and he committed a traffic violation, when he changed lanes, speeded up and overtook the vehicle in front of him from the right side, which resulted to the accident.

The traffic enforcer suffered a wound on his right arm, bumps on his head and a swollen left leg due to the accident.

Meanwhile, representatives from Udotco, the cooperative that owned the modern jeepney involved in the accident, also promised to shoulder the hospital expenses including the CT scan of the victim.

They also agreed to pay the traffic enforcer’s salary on days that he would not be able to report to work.

The agreement between the driver and the traffic enforcer and Udotco was made during a meeting with Udotco officials, Oppus, Jumaquin and Jumao-as this morning, April 7.

Udotco officials also did not contest the results of the investigation of the accident after viewing the CCTV footage of the incident which showed the driver was clearly at fault.

Hi, my name is Dilcer Gaviola. One night during my vacation at an ecofarm resort I got a little rowdy. A few drinks turned into more drinks which in turn got me totally blitzed. Not only did I cause P50,000 worth of damage to a skimmer but I also took a dump in the pool. Kind of like in Caddyshack except this was actual doodie and not a candy bar.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/437043/drunk-man-destroys-resort-property-defecates-on-swimming-pool

A man, who was allegedly drunk, was arrested by the police on Friday, April 22, after he allegedly caused damage to a skimmer and allegedly defecated on the swimming pool of an ecofarm resort in Barangay Liburon, Carcar City in southern Cebu.

The suspect, Dilcer Gaviola, 20, is facing charges for malicious mischief, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Ardioleto Cabagnot, officer-in-charge of the Carcar City Police Station.

Gaviola, a native of Sitio Saimon, Barangay Can-asujan in Carcar City, was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday after he allegedly caused damage to the swimming pool and the skimmer of the Carcar Eco Farm Resort that is located in Villa Anonang in Barangay Liburon.

The total amount of damage was valued at around P50,000, Cabagnot said in a report, which he submitted to Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO).

Cabagnot in his report said that the duty lifeguard was the one, who caught Gaviola allegedly defecating on the ecofarm’s swimming pool.

Initial investigation also showed that the suspect, who was believed to be under the influence of liquor, allegedly with deliberate intent maliciously destroyed the skimmer of the pool.

Hi, my name is Rowena Daud. A friend of mine who is an overseas worker in Saudi Arabia left her two young children in my care. I already have three children of my own and with a total of five to watch after it gets very stressful. That is why I took one of my friends children, a two year old girl, and repeatedly smashed her head into a wall during a fit of rage. Coming to my senses I took the girl to the hospital and told them she fell down. But with all the other marks on the girls body including signs of sexual assault the doctors saw through my ruse. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/04/24/2176292/woman-held-toddlers-murder

Police arrested and filed charges against a 37-year-old woman who allegedly killed a two-year-old girl under her care in Quezon City on Thursday.

Rowena Daud is being held on charges of murder and violating Republic 7610 or the law against child abuse.

A report from the Quezon City Police District Station 14 said the incident happened at the Daud’s house in Barangay Culiat at around 3 p.m.

Daud reportedly slammed the child’s head against a wall during a fit of rage, investigators reported.

To conceal her crime, Daud brought the child to the New Era Hospital, claiming she had fallen. The victim later succumbed to her injuries.

However, police officers who went to the hospital became suspicious after they noticed the child had multiple bruises on different parts of her body.

“Marami siyang sugat sa iba’t ibang parte ng katawan, sa likod, paa, ulo (She had many wounds on her body, on the back, feet, head),” Lt. Anthony Dacquel, chief of Station 14’s women and children protection desk, said in an interview aired over GMA News.

During interrogation, Daud admitted that she has been hurting the child due to stress.

Dacquel said she has been taking care of the child and the victim’s eight-month-old sibling aside from her own three children.

“Stressed na stressed na raw siya,” Dacquel said.

The victim’s mother, overseas Filipino worker Risma Sarahanga, left the child and her sibling in Daud’s care as she is in Saudi Arabia.

Police have no information on the victim’s father.

Station 14 commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bilaro did not reply when asked for the whereabouts of the victim’s sibling and Daud’s children.

Police are also investigating if the child was raped as her body also bore signs of sexual assault.

Hi, my name is Cpl. Arnaiz Orongan. On my day off I was walking around town when I two man in  an altercation. My senses went off telling me this was a robbery in progress. So, I sprang into action and accosted the man and held him until help arrived. 

https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/21/off-duty-cop-saves-indian-national-from-robber/

An off-duty policeman who chanced upon a robbery incident arrested the suspect who tried to victimize an Indian national in Las Pinas City on Wednesday, April 20.

The suspect was identified as Joefer Suan, 36, of Caloocan City. He is now detained at the Las Pinas police custodial facility and is facing charges of robbery-holdup.

According to Las Pinas police chief Col. Jaime Santos, the incident happened around 12:15 p.m. in TS Cruz Subdivision, Daang Hari Road, Barangay Almanza Dos, Las Pinas City.

Santos said Cpl. Arnaiz Orongan, assigned at Barbosa Station 14, Mendiola Police Community Precinct of the Manila Police District (MPD), was walking when he noticed an altercation between the suspect and the victim.

The city police chief said Orongan, sensing a robbery incident, immediately responded and asked assistance from the Las Pinas City police Daang-Hari Sub-Station.

Suan yielded a .38 caliber revolver with four live ammunitions and P3,000 cash when he was arrested.

Southern Police District (SPD) Director Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg commended Orongan for responding immediately to the incident leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Macaraeg said the act showed by Orongan must be followed by all policemen in rendering 24/7 service to the public to maintain peace and order.

Hi, my name is Jang Youngjn. I am from South Korea. Back in my homeland, in January, I got into a fight with a guy during a drinking session and killed him. He died from head trauma. I was also running a telecom fraud syndicate which operated out of China. I thought I would be able to hide in the Philippines but an Interpol notice alerted the authorities here and the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit found me.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1587797/bi-arrests-south-korean-national-wanted-for-murder-fraud-inside-qc-house

Agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested a South Korean national in Quezon City who was wanted for murder and telecommunications fraud.

According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente in a statement on Monday, the fugitive, identified as Jang Youngjn, 38, was arrested by the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) in his residence in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday.

Meanwhile, BI-FSU chief Rendel Sy explained that Jang is also the subject of an Interpol red notice and an arrest warrant issued by the Chengju district court in South Korea, in connection with a murder case.

Sy said the murder case came from a mauling incident in Parañaque City on Jan. 16, in which the suspect reportedly mauled a fellow Korean after a heated dispute during a drinking session, killing him due to head trauma.

Sy also said that another warrant was issued against Jang by the Seoul Central District court where he was charged with running a telecom fraud syndicate that operated in China — allegedly employing voice phishing in Korea whose combined losses amounted to more than 63 million won or roughly P2.6 million.

Hi, my name is Angelo Bacaltos. My mom suffered from mental health issues. My own friends used to bully me because of her condition. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. No longer able to watch her suffer or endure being bullied I stabbed her to death while she was sleeping.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/439298/merciful-killing-son-in-jail-for-allegedly-killing-own-mom-in-sibonga

A 19-year-old man is now detained at the Sibonga Police Station after he reportedly confessed to killing his own mother. 

Local police in Sibonga town, southern Cebu said they considered the death of a 51-year-old woman as ‘case closed’ after her own son allegedly admitted to the killing.

The victim, identified as Julieta Bacaltos, was found dead inside their own home in Sitio Dumlog, Barangay Simala on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. 

Bacaltos sustained wounds that investigators suspected may have caused her untimely death. 

Police Master Sergeant Gerardo Abad of Sibonga Police Station said they identified the suspect as Angelo Bacaltos. 

According to the police officer, Angelo allegedly stabbed his mother multiple times while she was sleeping on Tuesday evening, May 3.

Initial reports from investigators showed that Bacaltos told police he ended his own mother’s life since he can no longer bear witness to her suffering from her condition. 

It also added that the victim was often the subject of bullying by his own friends due to her mental health problems. 

Hi, my name is Rico Feriol,  also known as “Brod Doring.” My followers call me ‘Dios Amahan’ or God the Father. I would take women into my temple and heal them using my patented sexual manipulation technique. But I guess no one got healed because now I am facing two counts of rape.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/14/22/nbi-nabs-faith-healer-in-cebu-accused-of-rape

The operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation in Mandaue City arrested a "faith healer" who was accused of rape. 

NBI-Mandaue officer-in-charge Arnel Pura said Rico Feriol, known as “Brod Doring”, was caught by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Presiding Judge Judilyn Menchavez of Branch 8 of the Regional Trial Court in Toledo City. 

Before he was nabbed, he was spotted in Asturias town in northern Cebu, practicing his alleged sexual manipulation.

“It has something to do with the belief and manipulation as he represented himself as ‘Dios Amahan’ or God the Father,” said Pura. 

Sexual favors were reportedly done at his "temple".

“They made them believe that the exploitation will give them something in return or will heal them,” said Pura.

Feriol is facing two counts of rape with no bail.

Retards in the Government 260

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

  

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1599814/duterte-claims-kicking-an-undersecretary-in-the-face-due-to-corruption

Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday claimed to have kicked a department undersecretary in the face for allegedly attempting to commit corruption.

During his speech at the launching of the digital innovation and modernization of the Philippine Post Corporation (Philpost), Duterte said the undersecretary had supposedly tried to pocket as much as P500,000 from an agency needing P5 million.

He said Executive Secretary Salvador “Bingbong” Medialdea had witnessed the incident.

(There’s an undersecretary. When an agency is needing P5 million, he/she volunteered to give money. You know already where it will come from — the budget. Then the woman there told me, she said, “They said they will give me P6 million but I have to give P500,000 to them.”)

(When I learned of it, I called the undersecretary. And when he/she was in front of me — there was a platform in the clubhouse — I kicked him/her in the face. Bingbong was there because they were together in a law office before. That’s how extreme I am. I am unforgiving in times like that.)

Rather than file the appropriate charges President Duterte claims he kicked an undersecretary in the face because he was corrupt.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174975

The Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the sentence of reclusion perpetua (life imprisonment) on six men, including two policemen, convicted of kidnapping in 2005.

Police Officers 1 Antonio Castillo and Jose Lonmar Zapatos, at the time assigned to the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group and Special Action Force, respectively, were convicted along with Crispin Araneta, Annabelle Olidan, Benjamin Olidan, and Lynfer Bicodo for kidnapping then 11-year-old twins, Jin Ritz and Kelvyelt Sermonia, their 9-year-old sister, Vinz, and their nanny, Eulalia Cuevas.

The victims, on their way to school, were taken at Filinvest, Quezon City on the morning of Aug. 30, 2005.

In a 12-page resolution uploaded May 20, the SC affirmed the Court of Appeals’ June 7, 2019 decision which upheld the sentence and increased to PHP100,000 the cost of damages imposed by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 225.

The children recounted how the kidnappers tied them up in a bathroom, fed them crackers, and beat them up.

They were eventually rescued two days later at a house in the Payatas area and the perpetrators were arrested by elements of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response.

The conviction and sentencing of 6 men including 2 cops for kidnapping children has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174948

Reiterating its zero-tolerance policy on abuse and sexual harassment, an official of the Quezon City government has been suspended after sexually harassing a fellow employee.

In a statement issued on Friday, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the female complainant detailed several acts of verbal and physical harassment by a high-ranking male official.

“The Quezon City government is committed to addressing all sexual harassment cases regardless of gender and position in any department,” Belmonte said.

The complaint letter was forwarded to the Committee on Decorum and Investigation - Legislative Department (CODI-Legis).

After conducting several hearings, Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, the disciplining authority, found the official guilty of the less grave offense of sexual harassment.

Under Memorandum Circular No. 12-S2020 and 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases of the Civil Service Commission, the official was meted out a six-month suspension without pay.

A Quezon City employee has been suspended for 6 months for sexual harassment. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174979

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Caraga (PDEA-13) reported the arrest of a village official during a drug buy-bust on Thursday evening in the Surigao del Norte town of Bacuag.

In a report Friday, PDEA-13 said Barangay Pautao councilor Alter Dusaran, a high-value target and has been under surveillance by authorities, was nabbed by authorities in Purok 2 of the same barangay.

Dusaran yielded a heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet of shabu weighing 0.5 grams with a value of PHP4,000, the agency said.

PDEA-13 said the suspect will be charged with the violation of Section 5, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

A village official has been arrested on drug charges. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1174961

A 58-year-old female personnel of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is facing criminal charges after she was arrested by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in an entrapment in Quezon City.

In a statement on Friday, CIDG chief, Maj. Gen. Eliseo DC Cruz, said the entrapment against Maria Fe Carpina Doringo, releasing and receiving officer at the LTO Novaliches District Office, stemmed from the complaint filed by Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) representatives.

ARTA alleged that Doringo has been facilitating the release of Student Permits and Driver’s License transactions in exchange for money.

Cruz said operatives of the CIDG Quezon City Field Unit, together with ARTA representatives, launched an entrapment on Wednesday, resulting in the arrest of Doringo.

During the operation, Doringo yielded the marked and boodle money, her LTO Identification Card, a Student Permit, and a Student Permit Application Form.

Doringo will be charged with the violation of RA 11032 or the Anti-Red Tape Act.

An LTO employee is charged with extortion.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1601307/fwd-danao-warns-cops-still-involved-in-illegal-drug-trade-stop-or-ill-change-your-lives

Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. on Monday warned police personnel still involved in the illegal drugs trade to stop or he will ‘change’ their lives.

“Those others, who until now do not want to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs. I would like to address this to the men in uniform of the [PNP]. There are still some of us, a few, I'm giving you a stern warning, I'm talking to you, please put a stop to these illegal drugs menace, ”Danao said during Monday's flag ceremony at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City,

"I'm talking to you, if you got through there and you weren't caught, thank you, as long as I'm wearing this uniform, whether I continue to be a four star or not, you take note gentlemen , I know you, ”he said.

 “I’m giving you a stern warning. You don't want to change? I will change your life, if you don't change, I will change your birthday. I'm not kidding, ”he added.

In a press briefing after his flag ceremony speech, Danao explained that his message came from unvalidated reports claiming that some officers are linked to the drug menace.

 “There’s still one, one by one that you are very stubborn. You will reap what you want, I’m telling you. Now, ‘if you really don’t want to change I say, I’ll give you what you want. There are still one by one although these are unvalidated reports, I hope they are not true, and I hope we will stop if there are any, ”he said.

“The others here are, allegedly, still involved in illegal activities and especially in illegal drugs. Anyway, it's just one by one, so I just hope it's not true, ”he added.

 According to Danao, he received some of the reports during his stint as National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief.

 “You know because I was assigned in NCRPO, and there are still a few although these are unvalidated reports, but I said just to give a fair warning to everyone not to be involved. This is addressed to all members, be it general, down to the lowest rank of PO1 and NUP. I would like to give you a fair warning, take not, stern and fair warning to everyone, ”he added.

PNP Officer in charge Lt. Gen. Danao has warned cops involved in the drug trade to stop what they are doing or face the consequences. It seems as if he has names but does not want to actually do anything to stop them.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1601921/village-chief-gunned-down-in-cagayan

Two motorcycle-riding armed men shot and killed Tuesday a village chief in Tuao town, Cagayan province, police said.

Investigators said Dante Blanza, 61, of Barangay Santo Tomas, was on board his car when assailants attacked him with a still-unknown gun caliber. The victim suffered bullet wounds on his head and body.

The armed men sped off in their red-black motorcycle without a plate number.

Blanza was brought to the St. Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao but was declared dead upon arrival.

A hot pursuit operation was underway to capture the assailants.

Investigators said they have yet to determine the motive behind the attack. 

A barangay captain was shot dead by unknown assassins for unknown reasons.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1602066/power-cut-off-in-lanao-del-sur-town-during-special-elections

Saboteurs tried to disrupt the transmission of results of the special elections in Tubaran town, Lanao del Sur, on Tuesday evening, according to Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo II,  commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade.

According to Cuerpo, a clump of bamboo was intentionally cut so that it would fall on a power line of the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Lasureco).

The power supply was interrupted for almost an hour before Lasureco linemen restored it.

But Cuerpo said the incident did not affect the transmission of the results and the overall conduct of the special election in the town.

The balloting went on smoothly amid tight security provided by the police and Army.

The Bangsamoro regional election director, Ray Sumalipao, said 45 police officers served as members of the electoral boards in lieu of teachers who had reservations about their security.

The Army requested “persuasion flights” of Super Tucano planes from the Air Force side by side with two helicopters to deter sabotage attempts.

Special elections in Lana del Sur were met with sabotage attempts.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1602886/local-govt-employee-slain-in-batangas-shooting

A municipal government employee was shot and killed Wednesday by a motorcycle-riding gunman in Rosario town in Batangas province, the police said Thursday.

Mark Anthony Grit, 41, was seated on his motorcycle in the parking lot of the public market when the assailant aboard a motorcycle with an unidentified plate number repeatedly shot him at 5:20 p.m., the Batangas police said.

The unidentified suspect and his driver cohort escaped after the shooting, and left their target dead.

Nine spent shells from a caliber .45 pistol and two deformed slugs were found at the scene.

Police have yet to identify the suspects and establish the motive behind the shooting.

A government employee was assassinated by unknown men for unknown reasons.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1602874/negros-occidental-gov-sacks-provl-exec-for-absence-without-leave

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has terminated a provincial officer for her absence without leave.

Negros Occidental Provincial Planning and Development Office head Ma. Lina Sanogal was dropped from the roster of provincial government employees, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, May 25.

Lacson, in a May 19 letter to Sanogal, said it has come to his attention that she had not reported for work since March 18 without an approved leave of absence and with no official communication on her whereabouts despite numerous attempts to contact her.

Dropping from the roll is non-disciplinary and is appealable before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) within 15 days from receipt of the notice.

Diaz said an agreement had been reached for the transfer of Sanogal while she was processing her retirement papers to the governor’s office.

Sanogal said her termination was moot and academic since she had already filed a complaint against Lacson at the CSC for constructive dismissal.

She said she was constructively dismissed when she was demoted from her responsibilities as a technical manager and transferred to the governor’s office to work on administrative concerns.

A government employee was terminated for being AWOL but it turns out she was demoted from her job and subsequently applied for retirement.