Retards in the Government 257

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

  

https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/29/barangay-councilor-shot-inside-barangay-hall-in-diplahan/

A barangay councilor was shot by still unidentified gunmen inside the barangay hall of Guinoman in Diplahan municipality, Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday, April 28.

P.Col. Albert Larubis, Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Police Director, identified the fatality as Cristituto Halop.

A report from the Police Regional Office-9 said Halop was inside the Guinoman barangay hall when two men arrived on board a Bajaj tricycle and shot the victim several times.

The suspects escaped towards Barangay Natan.

The victim was still conscious when he was brought to the Wilfredo Palma Hospital in Diplahan but expired while undergoing treatment.

A barangay councilor was shot dead in the barangay hall.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1589635/p1-m-bounty-set-for-capture-of-digos-village-chiefs-killer

Digos City Mayor Josef Cagas has set a P1 million reward for those who can provide information leading to the arrest of the killer of a village official here on Wednesday.

Cagas said the funds for the bounty comes from the local government.

San Jose village chief Angelito Balasbas, 50, had just arrived home around 5 p.m. on Wednesday when attacked before he could alight from the vehicle.

Neighbors in Purok Jakosalem who heard the gunshots then rushed him to Sunga Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

The window in the driver’s side of the vehicle was shattered while Balasbas suffered several gunshot wounds in different parts of his body.

The mayor of Digos City was assassinated inside his vehicle.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1590194/village-chief-running-for-san-fernando-city-councilor-killed-in-shooting-incident

A barangay captain or village chief, who was also running for councilor in this Pampanga capital in the upcoming May polls, was killed after an unidentified gunman shot him Saturday morning.

Barangay Alasas chief Alvin Mendoza was leaving his home at around 7 a.m. when the shooting incident happened, his sister Arlene Supan said in a phone interview. Mendoza died while being treated at a public hospital at around 8:50 a.m.

Mendoza, 51, was running with the lineup of mayoralty bet Vilma Caluag under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan banner.

A barangay captain up for reelection was assassinated.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1173437

A police officer was arrested Sunday for allegedly selling an undocumented firearm in Bacolod City.

In a statement Monday, Brig. Gen. Oliver Enmodias, chief of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG), identified the suspect as Staff Sgt. Gerwin Catolico who is assigned at the Bacolod City Police Office.

Catolico was arrested in an entrapment at Barangay Estefania around 10:40 a.m. for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and the Omnibus Election Code.

Citing Enmodias' report, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said the suspect was arrested after handing over one .45 caliber pistol in exchange for money received from a poseur buyer.

The suspect is the primary target under Operation Pistola for his involvement in the illegal selling of unlicensed firearms in the province of Negros and nearby areas.

Carlos said that guns are a common instrument in committing crimes.

“That is why we have to step up our preemptive campaign through aggressive operations against those who sell them illegally,” Carlos said in a statement. "I have directed the PNP IMEG to intensify their monitoring efforts and go all out in our campaign to weed out scalawags who continue to tarnish the image of the PNP organization.”

A PNP officer was arrested for trying to sell an undocumented firearm.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1589616/nbi-files-murder-raps-against-pnp-police-officers-involved-in-abra-checkpoint-shootout

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday announced the filing of murder charges against several officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) involved in the shootout between Pilar, Abra Vice Mayor Jaja Josefina Disono’s security team and local officers, leaving one individual dead.

The NBI also said it filed charges for Perjury and Incriminating an Innocent Person against the police officers.

The said gunbattle killed one of Disono’s security aides identified as Sandee Boy Bermudo.

According to the NBI, the charges stemmed from the results of an investigation conducted by the NBI-NCR that revealed that the convoy of Disono was deliberately fired upon by the involved police officers.

“Thus, based on the evidences gathered, the NBI-NCR recommends the filing of Murder charges against the above named subject. In addition to the Murder charges, Perjury and Incriminating an Innocent Person were also filed against PLT. Kis-Ing, PCPL Sabiniano, PAT. Aveño, PCPL Jove, and PAT Alperez,” said the NBI.

The NBI explained that police initially claimed they were conducting a Comelec checkpoint along Berona Street, Pilar, Abra, when the shootout occured, however, CCTV footage gathered by the NBI showed that there was no visible checkpoint along the said area at the time.

PNP also claimed that its police vehicle, with marking “557″ was fired upon by one of the passengers of Disono’s convoy, “but based on the CCTV footage, the Police Mobile bearing the marking “557″ was seen pursuing the target van without a bullet hole and suddenly stopped pursuing the van,” said the NBI.

The NBI has filed murder charges against several cops for a shootout that happed in March.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/05/03/sandiganbayan-grants-plea-for-lesser-offense-sought-by-davao-del-sur-gov-marc-cagas-iv

The Sandiganbayan has allowed Davao Del Sur Gov. Marc Douglas Chan Cagas IV to plead guilty to a lesser offense on the two graft and two malversation charges on his alleged misuse of P12.95 million in priority development assistance fund (PDAF) when he was a member of Congress.

With the approval, Cagas will be imposed lower penalties than those actually prescribed for graft and malversation.

Cagas’ motion for plea bargaining on his criminal cases had the consent of the prosecution which required that the former legislator would return to the government P12.95 million of his previous PDAF.

He then filed with the anti-graft court a compliance last April 4 and submitted a certified true copy of Official Receipt No. 9700057 dated last April 1 evidencing the payment of P12.95 million.

The governor or Davao Del Sur has been allowed to enter a plea bargain for graft and malversation related to misuse of money from  PDAF.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1927950/cebu/local-news/controversial-cop-barandog-wife-wounded-in-sunday-ambush

A POLICE official who had been accused by former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña of harassing his supporters in 2019 was wounded in an ambush on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

Police Lt. Col. Chuck Barandog was critically wounded after he was ambushed by two motorcycle-riding men at the corner of Pope John Paul II Ave. and F. Cabahug St., Cebu City past 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Barandog and his wife, former Cebu City Medical Center administrator Yvonne Cania, and a police security escort were on their way home to Barangay Kalunasan aboard a white Toyota Hi-Lux pickup with STL Party-list markings after attending an activity in Mandaue City when the gunmen peppered their vehicle with bullets.

Cania is running in the May 9, 2022 elections as the STL Party-list first nominee.

Lt. Col. Maria Theresa Macatangay, information officer of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said the security escort, whom she declined to name, narrated that they were traversing Pope John Paul II Ave. when Lt. Col. Barandog, the driver of the vehicle, stopped the vehicle on reaching the Ayala-Kasambagan road intersection due to the stop signal.

He said they were about to speed off as the traffic light turned green when the assailants staged the ambush.

The vehicle’s window on the driver’s side bore multiple gunshot holes.

Despite suffering 11 gunshot wounds in different parts of his body, including the arm, hands and stomach, Barandog still managed to crawl towards the back of the car to hide, while Cania immediately got out of the car.

Cania was hit in the left portion of her ribs and thigh and was declared in stable condition.

Barandog and his security escort allegedly were not able to fire back at the gunmen as the ambush happened too quickly.

The escort’s eyes were also hit by shards from the car’s glass window.

The suspects immediately fled and are now being hunted by the police.

A cop and his wife who is running for office were ambushed by unknown men for unknown reasons.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1591916/comelec-asked-to-disqualify-ex-palawan-governor-reyes

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has been asked to bar former Palawan Gov. Mario Joel Reyes from vying for his former post in the May 9 elections since he was already convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan.

In a 16-page petition for disqualification, Nasir Radjudin Miranda and Mohammad Vinarao Asgali said Reyes had been found guilty by the antigraft court on Aug. 29, 2017, of illegally renewing the permit of a small-scale mining company that had been previously cited for various violations.

The petitioners, both registered voters from Bataraza, Palawan, said that aside from a six-year prison term, Reyes was also meted out a lifetime ban from joining the government for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

They said Reyes’ guilty verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in September 2019.

This is the same man the DOJ wants rearrested in connection with a murder.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/830583/pnp-chief-carlos-relieves-entire-pilar-abra-police-force/story/

Philippine National Police chief Police General Dionardo Carlos ordered Wednesday the relief of the entire personnel of Pilar, Abra municipal police station upon the recommendation of the Commission on Elections.

“Sa Pilar, Abra, I just texted the regional director Police Brigadier General Ronald Lee that effective immediately we will remove all the Pilar, Abra MPS personnel and immediately be replaced. I will be seeing Ronald Lee this afternoon,” Carlos said during a joint press conference with Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan.

He said police personnel from the Regional Mobile Force will be deployed to replace the relieved police officers.

"Actually that police station will have about 20-30 personnel, it's easy to replace that and the personnel we will replace knows the area. Normally coming from the Regional Mobile Force or somebody who has been assigned before in the town of Pilar "So that won't be a problem. We can immediately adjust," said Carlos.

Pangarungan made the recommendation after placing Pilar, Abra under Comelec control.

He said he received confidential reports from CAR regional election director Ederlino Tabilas and petition of the local government regarding the supposed bias of the Pilar, Abra police and threats and intimidation received by supporters of certain candidates.

"Because of threats and intimidation by private armed groups to certain candidates in Pilar, Abra. Even the mayor, vice mayor, and councilors were hiding because they feel that they cannot be protected by the local police detachment of Pilar and all these concerns as confirmed to be by the regional election director, I declared Pilar under Comelec control using my emergency power,” Pangarungan said.

“The recommendation is to relieve the entire police force of Pilar and that would include the chief of police. Just change the entire police detachment so that we can have peaceful, orderly, and honest elections,” he added.

Due to candidates believing they cannot be protected by the local police the entire police force of Abra have been relieved.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/05/05/police-major-who-allegedly-shot-a-company-driver-in-cabanatuan-city-surrenders/

A police major allegedly involved in a shooting incident in Nueva Ecija voluntarily surrendered to Colonel Richmond l. Tadina, provincial director of Pangasinan Provincial Office, inside Camp Antonio U Sison in this province.

Major Antonino B. Cuaresma, nicknamed Abu, was assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Genevieve B. Poblete, chief of police of Binmaley PNP, as he submitted himself to Colonel Tadina on Wednesday on the prodding of fellow policemen.

Cuaresma, a PNP member assigned at Binymaley Pangasinan PPO, allegedly shot Jonathan Fernandez a.k.a. Ramon, 38, a company driver of Joyce Ice Cream in Cabanatuan City and a resident of Barangay Lagare, Cabanatuan City.

The shooting incident happened on April 29 along Cabanatuan-Carmen road, Purok Dau, Brgy. Pamaldan, in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

The Pangasinan police said that murder and serious illegal detention charges against Maj. Cuaresma were already referred to the Prosecutor’s Office in Cabanatuan City.

A PNP officer has been arrested for shooting and killing a man.