It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1747272/2-cavite-cops-facing-sexual-assault-raps-nabbed |
Two police officers in Bacoor City in Cavite province were arrested on Wednesday, March 22, on charges of sexual assault.
The Cavite police, in a belated report Thursday afternoon, March 23, identified the suspects as Corporal Bryan Santiago Baladjay and Master Sergeant Rey Mendoza Pogoso, both active members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and presently assigned at Imus City police station.
According to the report, the two cops joined a drinking session held by the victim, her boyfriend, and three others inside an apartment in Barangay Molino V at around 1 a.m.
After two hours of drinking, the victim was told by her boyfriend, also not identified in the report, to go upstairs and rest.
Afterward, the two policemen asked the boyfriend to buy liquor. After he left, the suspects went upstairs and started sexually molesting the victim, who was awakened from her sleep.
The report did not state if the other drinkers were still around during the sexual assault.
The victim managed to escape the two and ran downstairs.
The returning boyfriend noticed the commotion, successfully grabbed the victim, locked themselves inside the house and created noises to attract attention.
The village watchmen responded and coordinated with the local police station, which led to the arrest of the suspects.
The suspects’ service firearms, identification cards and badges were confiscated. They were also relieved from the Imus police station.
The corresponding criminal charges were filed against the suspects at the Bacoor City prosecution office around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Two cops have been arrested for sexual assault.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1747237/mayor-catches-bacolod-city-hall-employees-watching-tv-during-office-hours |
The mayor of this city has called the attention of at least five employees of the City Treasurer’s Office whom he caught watching an entertainment program on television during office hours.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Wednesday, March 22, reminded city hall employees of their pledge to serve the people honestly and efficiently. He stressed that honesty and efficiency should be the topmost priority of city hall employees while at work.
City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said notices to explain have been sent to the employees involved.
They were asked to explain in 48 hours to accord them due process after which the City Legal Office will act on the matter.
A memorandum has also been issued for the removal of television sets from city government offices to prevent the disruption of public service, Maghari said.
“Only television sets needed for work-related purposes will be allowed to stay,” he said.
Maghari said they will also act on employees using cellular phones and computers to play games and other non-work related activities during office hours.
Bacolod City Hall employees have been caught watching TV on the job.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/865217/qc-cop-in-hit-and-run-of-trike-driver-sacked-3-others-suspended/story/ |
The People's Law Enforcement Board (PLEB of Quezon City dismissed a ranking official and three other police officers over a hit-and-run incident that killed a tricycle driver in August last year.
In Mariz Umali’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, the PLEB convicted former Quezon City Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Julio Abong in relation to the death of victim Joel Laroa.
Abong was found guilty of multiple charges of grave misconduct, grave neglect of duty, and conduct unbecoming of a police officer with the aggravating circumstance of employment of fraudulent means to conceal an offense.
(We have overwhelming circumstantial evidence. We have no other conclusion aside from Mark Julio Abong is the driver.)
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Laroa’s sisters alleging that Abong hit their brother while driving a black Ford Ranger. Instead of helping, the official reportedly fled the scene with the help of fellow police officers Police Colonel Alexander Barredo and Police Corporal Joan Vicente.
A certificate signed by PNP Chief Rodolfo Azurin confirmed Abong was rushed to the PNP Health Service at the night of the incident for wound treatment. It was also verified he was under the influence of alcohol and was even transported to the health facility by the city police mobile.
The PLEB likewise convicted Barredo and Vicente for neglect of duty after responding to the incident and not arresting Abong.
Police senior master sergeant Jose Soriano was found guilty of grave misconduct for trying to divert the investigation away from the police official.
All three of them were suspended for six months.
GMA Integrated News reached out to the cops but in their earlier defense, they denied the accusations as “malicious” and “baseless”. Barredo and Vicente said they were based on rumors while Soriano said he had no personal knowledge of the incident.
While they lauded the decision, Laroa’s relatives said criminal cases should be filed against the suspects.
(This is just administrative only. We want to file criminal charges against anyone who is involved. This is a coverup of the PNP health service personnel, of station 9 members, of Camp Carigal, and of all the police officers linked here.)
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/28/ex-mountain-province-officials-convicted-in-irregular-purchase-of-vehicle-in-2006 |
11 former government officials have been convicted of graft over an anomalous vehicle purchase.Eleven former officials of Mountain Province and a private individual have been convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan in the irregular procurement of a vehicle in 2006.
Found guilty were former accountant Theodore A. Marrero, provincial health officer Nenita D. Lizardo, provincial nurse Helen K. Macli-ing, bids and awards committee (BAC) chairman Paulo P. Pagteilan and members Lily Rose T. Kollin, Florence R. Gut-omen, Edward B. Likigan, and Soledad Theresa F. Wanawan.
Also found guilty were BAC budget officer II Jerome M. Falingao, executive assistant Abdon A. Imingan, technical inspection member Abelard T. Pachingel and private individual Ronald C. Kimakim, owner of Ronhil Trading, Inc.
They were sentenced to a prison term ranging from six to eight years with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. The court also ordered the forfeiture of their retirement or gratuity benefits under the law.
The case against their co-accused, former governor Maximo B. Dalog, had been dismissed on account of his death in June 2017.
The court found that the former officials purchased a Mitsubishi L-300 Versa Van at P843,700.91 on March 29, 2006 despite irregularities in the procurement process, such as specifying the brand of vehicle to be purchased and deviating from the purpose of procurement.
The prosecution said that undue injury was caused to the government in the amount of P87,700.91 which represented the difference between the amount paid to Ronhil and the lesser amount stated in the Vehicle Sales Invoice and Delivery Receipt.
The court said that manifest partiality and evident bad faith were all present in the transaction and that the prosecution successfully proved that the accused circumvented the procurement process stated in Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
It pointed out that while RA 9184 does not allow reference to brand names, the accused still deliberately referred to a particular brand and model of vehicle in the procurement documents.
"All of the accused, consisting of the end-user representative and BAC officials, willingly turned a blind eye to the apparent violation of the procurement law by making reference to a specific brand and model of vehicle," it said.
"From the time the accused discovered the irregularities and before the acceptance of the subject vehicle, they had the opportunity to reject the bid, declare a failure or bidding, or not award the contract. Despite such an opportunity, the accused continued the procurement process,” it also said.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1198482 |
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia formally filed complaints against five officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) over the culling of pigs in Carcar City due to the African swine fever (ASF) virus.
In a seven-page complaint filed at the Office of the Ombudsman - Visayas, Garcia said the five officials – BAI Director, Dr. Paul Limson; BAI deputy program coordinator, Dr. Samuel Joseph Castro; BAI coordinator on ASF, Dr. Joshua Cruz; BAI regional veterinary quarantine station head, Dr. Miriam Lopez Vito; and DA 7 (Central Visayas) ASF coordinator, Dr. Daniel Ventura, allegedly violated provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Local Government Code of 1991, and the New Civil Code.
The case stemmed from the officials’ alleged persistent “statement regarding ASF outbreak in the province of Cebu” and imposing zone mapping and culling protocols within a 500-meter radius without consulting and coordinating with the provincial government.
“The indiscriminate culling of the pigs is in violation of the right to due process of the hog owners,” the governor said, adding that “they were also not justly compensated prior to taking of their property.”
Garcia said the officials’ failure to exercise due course in performing their duties “has greatly affected the PHP11 billion hog industry of the province of Cebu and its economy” and had the effect of reducing the hog population, which may result in the possible importation of hogs and pork from other countries.
She wanted the anti-graft body to hold the officials administratively liable because they “haphazardly implemented a policy without thought nor prudent course of action,” accusing them of not following the mandate of the agency.
The agency also ignored her executive orders against culling and color-coded zone mapping.
“There were no actual details of the findings and no explanation on their basis for declaring an outbreak. Indeed, it was even found that the positive samples from Carcar City were from a slaughterhouse and not from (the) actual backyard (piggeries),” she said, citing the negative effect of indiscriminate culling on hog raisers’ livelihood.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/03/30/2255588/lto-district-chief-suspended-over-fixers |
The head of the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s Novaliches district unit has been suspended following the arrest of five alleged fixers in front of the district office on Tuesday.
LTO chief Jay Art Tugade said yesterday the official was suspended while under investigation for fixing activities at the district office.
While Tugade did not identify the official, the LTO’s website named the Novaliches district office’s head as Joseph Paul Petilla.
“The chief of office will be investigated… If he is found to be in connivance with the fixers, the appropriate criminal charges will be filed against him and the other employees,” Tugade said during a press briefing.
Tugade said he confronted the district head about the prevalence of fixers in his area of jurisdiction. The official reportedly replied that the fixers were outside the office, not on the premises, according to Tugade.
He noted that there could have been gross negligence on the part of the LTO official, which could be grounds for administrative charges.
“We are following (the principle of) command responsibility. The public should rest assured that I will hold the chief of that office accountable for the fixers caught just outside the office,” he said.
The fixers were arrested during a joint operation by the LTO and the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
They were arrested after they received P10,500 from a poseur-buyer for a student permit. They face charges of violating Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/30/marilao-bulacan-residents-mourn-death-of-barangay-councilor |
Residents of Barangay Poblacion 2 in Marilao, Bulacan mourn the unexpected death of a village councilor who was shot to death by an unidentified armed man on Wednesday morning, March 29.
Police identified the slain village councilor as Aldrin Ativa Santos, 38.
Investigation showed that Santos was in front of JPMS driving school along Halili Avenue in Barangay Bagbaguin, Sta Maria, Bulacan talking with his uncle Darwin Garcia Santos when the suspect, armed with an unknown caliber short firearm, fired at the victim.
Councilor Santos sustained three gunshot wounds on the chest and was rushed to Bocaue Specialist Medical Center for medical treatment but was declared dead on arrival.
The suspect fled onboard a black Honda TMX motorcycle.
Residents said Santos was the first independent village councilor candidate during the Barangay election who did not post any campaign paraphernalia but still won.
"Kahangahanga siya bukod sa napakabait (Aside from being good, he is amazing)," they said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1749427/policewoman-lover-nabbed-as-her-husband-a-cop-caught-them-inside-a-bohol-motel |
A policewoman and her alleged lover were arrested by police officers after they were caught by her husband, also a policeman, inside an inn in Talibon town, Bohol on Tuesday.Authorities said the husband stood as complainant and requested the Talibon police to arrest his wife and the alleged lover.
The Inquirer is withholding the names of the persons involved due to the sensitivity of the case.
The complainant, a policeman assigned at the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company, sought the help of the Talibon police to arrest his 28-year-old wife, a policewoman assigned at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Section of Police Regional Office (PRO) in Central Visayas who supposedly checked-in with her 37-year-old alleged paramour who was assigned at the Regional Personnel and Records Management Division.
Talibon Police Station chief Major Joseph Lopena said that when the husband sought their assistance, they immediately accompanied him towards the inn, where they caught his wife and her lover naked inside one of the rooms.
The police brought the suspects to the police station, where they were temporarily detained pending the filing of charges against them.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/29/23/nbi-files-complaints-vs-immigration-employees-over-human-trafficking |
Two Philippine immigration employees are charged with graft and corruption, after allegedly colluding with human trafficking syndicates.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1750198/barmm-police-chief-collared-for-syndicated-estafa |
Agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested on Wednesday night the police chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
A report from the CIDG-BARMM said two arrest warrants from courts in Quezon City were served around 9:30 p.m. to Police Brigadier General John Guyguyon for syndicated estafa at his quarters in Camp SK Pendatun in Parang town, Maguindanao del Norte.
Guyguyon did not resist arrest.
The tracker team of the CIDG Regional Field Unit in the Bangsamoro region had coordinated with Brigadier General Gil Tria, deputy regional director for administration of the BARMM police, in serving the warrants.
Judge Catherine Pespes Manodon of Regional Trial Court Branch 104 issued the warrant dated December 1, 2022, and Judge Kathleen Rosario dela Cruz-Espinosa, Regional Trial Court Branch 91 issued the warrant on May 20, 2022.
The courts did not recommend any bail.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1750177/ex-provincial-board-member-shot-dead-in-nueva-ecija |
Two unidentified gunmen on Wednesday killed a former provincial board member of Nueva Ecija, police said.Investigators said Zaldy Matias, 65, of Barangay San Nicolas in this city, was sitting in front of his house when the gunmen arrived and shot him repeatedly at 8:20 p.m.
Matias was taken to a local hospital but died while being treated, the investigators said.
Police said they would review all security cameras near the crime scene and interview witnesses to identify the culprits.
The police said they had yet to establish the motive behind the attack.
Matias served as a provincial board member representing Nueva Ecija’s 4th district from 2007 to 2010.
He was also a city councilor from 1998 to 2007.
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