Retards in the Government 268

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

  

https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/15/jail-guard-in-laguna-nabbed-for-illegal-drug-activities/

A 35-year-old Bureau of Management and Penology (BJMP) member was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Sitio 5, Barangay Bagumbayan, this town, Thursday, July 14.

The suspect was identified as Eugene Bactad, a resident of Barangay Bagumbayan, and listed by the police as a high-value individual in the illegal drugs trade.

Police received a report that Bactad is involved in illegal drug activities. The report was validated and a buy-bust operation was conducted leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Seized from Bactad were three sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated weight of 10 grams and marked money.

A jail guard was arrested for selling drugs.

https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/15/drunk-trigger-happy-cop-in-gensan-charged/

A happy-trigger policeman is facing administrative and criminal charges after he indiscriminately fired his firearm while drunk in Barangay Lagao here Tuesday, July 12.

Police Lt. Col. Aldrin Gonzales, spokesperson of the General Santos City Police Office, said charges for illegal discharge of firearm and grave misconduct have been filed against Police Corporal Grecar Paras, assigned to the Mobile Patrol Unit, after he, together with several companions, figured in a shooting spree in Barangay Lagao.

Gonzales said Paras surrendered to this superior, Police Lt. Col. Ramon Gencianos, Wednesday, July 13, in Camp Fermin Lira here after he was positively identified through a closed-circuit television camera footage as one of two persons who indiscriminately fired a gun in front of a convenience store in Pioneer Village, Barangay Lagao.

The store owner, Mark Anthony Lansangan, reported the incident to Police Station 3 which immediately dispatched responding policemen to the scene.

Police Capt. Miguel Angelo Quidilla, Police Station 3 chief, said the suspects had fled the area when responding policemen arrived at the scene.

Gonzales said the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service is set to probe the administrative case of grave misconduct against the erring cop while that of the criminal case of indiscriminate firing will be conducted by Police Station 3.

A police officer is being charged for indiscriminately firing his weapon while being drunk.

https://www.panaynews.net/sc-upholds-graft-conviction-of-iloilo-medical-supplier/

The president of a medical supply company has been found guilty by the Supreme Court of violating Republic Act (RA) No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for conniving with local public officials by participating in a flawed bidding, resulting in unwarranted benefits and advantages in his favor.

This case is related to the February 2015 Sandiganbayan conviction – affirmed with finality also by the Supreme Court in March 2019 – of former Janiuay, Iloilo mayor Frankie Locsin for graft regarding the purchase of medicines from two companies that were owned by one person.

Villanueva and several local government officials of Janiuay, Iloilo were charged by the Office of the Ombudsman with violation of RA 3019 for allegedly conniving with each other for the purchase of medicines worth P13,191,223 from Europharma, notwithstanding the fact its accreditation was still pending with the Department of Health (DOH) when it was awarded the contract, thus disqualifying it from bidding.

It was also alleged that Villanueva was the sole proprietor of Mallix Drug Center (Mallix), a supplier which participated in the same public bidding and was awarded P1,744,926.  

The Sandiganbayan held that all the accused conspired with each other and were guilty of violating Section 3 (e) of RA 3019 for awarding the contracts for the purchase of medicines to the business entities of petitioner.

The president of a medical supply company who conspired with local officials for a no-bid purchase has had his graft conviction upheld.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/15/22/coa-flags-dpwh-over-delay-defects-in-thousands-of-infra-projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) failed to establish the viability of 3,440 infrastructure projects worth P245.021 billion which resulted in either delayed completion or non-implementation of the projects, a report from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed.

In their 2021 audit report, state auditors said the DPWH's projects were contrary to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The projects include school buildings and farm-to-market road projects across the country, including 437 projects amounting to P10.939 billion which have not been started at all. 

Several reasons were cited in the report, such as typhoons, prolonged acquisition of road right-of-way, permits and clearances from other government agencies, unsatisfactory performance of contractors, revisions in feasibility studies, and engineering plans. 

“Except for the COVID-19 pandemic and adverse weather conditions, the other identified causes of the delay in the implementation of infrastructure projects reflect the inadequacy of planning, supervision and monitoring of management relative to the project implementation,” the audit team commented. 

Unsupported expenditures amounting to P11.538 billion were also made by the DPWH without proper and complete supporting documentary requirements, contrary to Presidential Decree No. 1445 or the Auditing Code of the Philippines. 

The disbursements include payments of advances to contractors, fuel oil and lubricants payments, COVID-19 hazard pay, as well as salaries and wages of job order, contractual, and budgetary personnel. 

“The above disbursements/payments made without proper or complete documentation rendered the transactions of doubtful legality, propriety, or regularity; hence, the same shall be suspended in audit until the requirements are duly complied with,” the audit team said.

The audit team also noted technical defects in 369 infrastructure projects with total contract cost of P11.860 billion, resulting in deficiencies of at least P508.581 million. 

Among the cited defects were major scaling and multiple cracks on concrete pavement as well as defects in masonry, structural concrete and painting works and curbs and gutters in the Cordillera Administrative Region. 

The DPWH has been flagged by the COA over a number of issues. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1629569/coa-flags-delays-in-14-dotr-projects-worth-p1-6-trillion

Fourteen foreign-assisted projects of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) worth P1.61 trillion suffered “setbacks” in implementation last year, forcing the government to pay P128.42 million in additional fees to several lenders financing them, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).

State auditors reviewed the projects’ status as of the end of 2021 and found common problems in implementation, among them issues in procurement, and financial and technical concerns. In a 2021 audit report on the DOTr, the COA said these led to prolonged implementation and changes in project cost and scope, and caused some to be restructured.

“It bears stressing that the issues encountered in the implementation of the projects should be immediately addressed to prevent further extension of services/project’s completion/implementation period, and consequently incurrence of additional commitment fees/charges in case of extension of the loan validity period,” the COA said.

The COA report said the 14 projects faced similar issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project site’s condition or availability, and design, scope, and technical concerns.

State auditors lamented that issues in the implementation of the projects, which included the improvement of rail systems, replacement of license plates, and the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program, affected “the timely usage and enjoyment by the public of the benefits that could be derived therefrom.”

The COA has flagged the COA for delays in projects which cost the government millions in extra fees. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1630213/coa-flags-robredos-ovp-for-hiring-lawyer-without-approval

The Commission on Audit (COA) may have an unmodified opinion of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Leni Robredo, but it still flagged the OVP for hiring a private lawyer, supposedly without adhering to COA rules.

According to the 2021 COA report,  the OVP engaged the services of a private lawyer as a legal consultant without the prior approval of the COA and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

Without such approval, public funds used to pay the private lawyer may be disallowed or ordered returned, as stated in a circular that COA released in April 1986.

According to the 2021 COA report, the payments “are considered irregular and unnecessary expenditures” and “shall be the personal liability of the officials concerned.”

The COA audit team also found out that there was no valid reason for hiring a legal consultant necessary. It noted that the OVP created its own Legal Affairs Division in 2020 with two legal officers employed “as part of its institutional strengthening efforts.”

“It is believed that the contracted legal services can be handled by OVP’s legal officers. As such the hiring of a legal consultant is not justifiable,” the COA report said.

COA urged OVP to hold accountable those who approved the contract and the payments and have them refund the money paid to the private lawyer.

It also advised the current OVP to appoint someone to head the Legal Affairs Division.

The COA has flagged the OVP for hiring a lawyer without the approval of the OSG. The OVP has since said that they have appealed this decision to the COA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179293

An election official was shot to death in Isabela City, Basilan, while supervising the ongoing registration of voters for Al-Barka municipality in the province Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Junpikar Sitin, Isabela police chief, identified the victim as Ruayna Sayyadi, the election officer of Al-Barka town.

Sitin said Sayyadi was in front of the Al-Barka satellite municipal election office in Barangay Doña Ramona, Isabela City, when a gunman approached and shot her around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Sayyadi was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Sitin said the suspect fled on a motorcycle towards the city proper of Isabela, based on information gathered from witnesses.

Lawyer Roberto Dela Peña, the Basilan provincial election supervisor, strongly condemned Sayadi's killing and urged the police to  investigate and solve the crime.

An election official has been shot dead.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179327

The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former Samar town mayor to up to eight years in prison on graft charges filed by a municipal employee who exposed anomalies in the local government unit (LGU).

In a decision dated July 18 penned by Associate Justice Alex Quiroz, the anti-graft court convicted former San Sebastian town mayor Arnold Abalos for removing municipal planning and development coordinator Robert O. Rebosura from his post, after he shed light on unremitted workers' contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in 2012.

The mayor had been earlier convicted on separate graft charges.

The accused claimed he decided to relieve Rebosura, citing absenteeism where the complainant was allegedly reporting to work only thrice a week.

Rebosura, meanwhile, said his replacement stemmed from his and other municipal employees’ previous filing of cases against the mayor, including a complaint for the non-remittance of GSIS contributions.

In convicting Abalos, the court, among other things, said the complainant was denied the opportunity to explain his side and that the manner of his removal from the post was "attended by irregularity" as it was only done "by means of a mere memorandum, unsupported by any complaint, investigation or formal charge”.

A former mayor has been convicted of graft in connection with firing an employee who exposed his financial shenanigans.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1631135/cotabato-village-chief-killed-in-gun-attack

Unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed a village official in Pikit town, Cotabato province on Wednesday morning.

Maj. Maxim Peralta, Pikit police chief, said Datu Jalandoni Matalam Akas, 58, village chief of Barangay Macabual, was on a motorbike with his wife when they were attacked by still unidentified gunmen along the national highway in Barangay Nalapaan.

Akas died on the spot while his wife was unharmed in the gun attack that happened around 8 a.m.

The gunmen on board separate motorbikes then fled after the shooting, heading for the town proper.

It was the second daylight shooting in Pikit in two days.

“Hot pursuit operation is still ongoing,” Peralta told a local radio station in an interview.

Matalam’s relatives claimed that the victim had no known enemies and roamed around without firearms or armed escorts.

On Tuesday afternoon, unidentified gunmen also ambushed and killed Alex Salcedo, 58, an employee of Pikit Water District.

He was on motorbike when the suspect shot him from behind in Barangay (village) Batulawan at around 2 p.m.

Unidentified gunmen killed both a village chief and a water district employee in Cotobato province.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179270

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo proved once more that he won’t tolerate abuses after two erring employees were meted out disciplinary actions.

The DSWD said on Tuesday that one employee assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and another at the satellite office in Tagbilaran City, Bohol were relieved from their posts for inappropriate behavior.

They were also reprimanded and made to undergo retraining on proper treatment of clients, according to a news release on Tuesday.

"Instead of assisting them to make them comfortable from their travel abroad, the action of the said (NAIA) employee toward the mother and child was not in accordance with the health standards set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases for arriving minors," Tulfo reported, without specifying what the employee violated.

The Tagbilaran City employee, on the other hand, “rudely” talked to a client who inquired about inclusion in the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program”, the conditional cash transfer program.

On July 7, Tulfo posted an apology on Facebook and vowed to investigate the incident. 

Five other employees assigned at the hotline center were reprimanded and duly warned for not responding to calls.

“(Five employees assigned to our hotline operations were reprimanded and warned for not answering calls. What is the use of hotline numbers if no one will answer the calls)?" Tulfo said in a statement. 

Two DSWD employees have been relived and 5 warned for unprofessional behavior.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1179426

The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has fined four Sipalay City, Negros Occidental town officials for “frauds against the public treasury” in connection with anomalies in equipment lease contract with a private firm in 2008.

 

In its three-page decision written by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and promulgated July 15, the court found former city treasurer Renato Manilla, budget officer Fernando Balbin, engineer Porferio Calderon Jr., and general services officer Elizer Balbin guilty and sentenced them to a fine of PHP40,000 each.

 

Two accused, former mayor Soledad Montilla and executive assistant Alfredo Lim, had died while the case remained pending. 

 

Montilla and the other accused were originally charged with violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) on June 29, 2018 for alleged anomalies in a deal with the city government in 2008 where they were accused of giving unwarranted benefits and preference to D.K. Jocson Construction.

 

The irregularities allegedly occurred when the firm’s contract for the lease of heavy equipment used in the rehabilitation of a dike and graveling of farm-to-market roads in the city was renewed from March to December 2008.

Four town executives have been fined for irregularities in giving a contract for road construction.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/453909/coa-questions-talisay-citys-purchase-of-high-end-pcs-laptops

The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the decision of the Talisay City Government to purchase high-end laptops and personal computers (PC) used for engineering and video editing purposes. 

In its 2021 Annual Audit Report for Talisay City, the state auditing body called the city government’s attention to justify its procurement of five PC sets, and two high-end laptops amounting to a total of P610,750.

COA described the cost incurred by the local government as ‘imprudent use of government funds’ since the latter was unable to sufficiently defend the necessity to buy high-end consumer electronics. 

Citing COA Circular No. 2012-003, state auditors said ‘high-end or expensive models/brands of electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, desktops, and laptops, are considered unnecessary expenditures’ unless they are properly justified.  

The five PC sets and one of the high-end laptops were intended for the City Engineering Office. Another high-end laptop was charged under the Office of the City Mayor.

The purchases were made between May and June of 2021, the report showed. 

“While the procurement of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Equipment such as laptops and desktops are necessary for effectively discharging the two Offices’ duties and responsibilities, prudence in the use of funds must be always taken into consideration so that public procurement is done in the most judicious and economical manner,” portions of the COA report stated.

Talisay City has been flagged by the COA for high-end electronics purchases.