Retards in the Government 316

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

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1791911/raps-filed-vs-dera-6-nbi-security-officers-for-sneaking-out-of-jail

Detainee Jad Dera and six security officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) sought a preliminary investigation on the criminal complaint filed against them following their arrest for allegedly sneaking out of detention at midnight Wednesday.

Dera is facing a complaint of Corruption of Public officials and Employees under the Revised Penal Code, while the six NBI security officers are facing complaints for infidelity in the custody of prisoners/detained person and violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft Law.

Lawyer Mark Anthony Te, counsel for Dera, said they opted to sign a detention waiver as a requirement for a preliminary investigation so they can respond to the accusations and submit supporting evidence.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that Dera managed to sneak out of detention Tuesday evening and returned at midnight Wednesday, where he and his NBI escorts were arrested.

Te said that Dera had been feeling ill and had requested permission to consult a doctor.

[He did not feel well. He needed to go out and inform the NBI personnel and was allowed to do so.]

He said Dera was suffering from gastritis.

He, however, refused to comment on reports that Dera was spotted dining at a restaurant.

As evidence, the NBI submitted a joint affidavit of arrest, photos, and videos of the arrest, and a screenshot of CCTV footage of Dera eating at a buffet restaurant in Makati.

6 NBI security officers have been arrested for escorting an inmate outside of the facility. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204151

The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the sentence of up to eight years imprisonment imposed by a regional trial court on a policeman and his companion who waylaid a couple in 2006 and ran off with more than PHP3.5 million in cheques and cash.

The CA Fifth Division affirmed the conviction of PO1 Dennis Salviejo and Roseno Colendrino, positively identified by the victims as the persons who apprehended them while they were on their home from a bank at about 11 a.m. on May 18, 2006 in Santiago City, Isabela province.

Salviejo denied the allegations, saying at the supposed time and date of the robbery, he was on his way to Camp Adduru, the Police Regional Office 2 headquarters in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

"The defenses of the accused, unsubstantiated by clear and convincing evidence, cannot prevail over their positive identification by (victim) Raul," read the CA decision dated June 19 and made public Friday.

Salviejo and Colendrino shot at the two front tires of the couple's car, ordered them to step out and hand over their money, and fled on a motorcycle.

The victims immediately reported the incident and recognized the two men from photos shown to them.

Aside from the PHP3 million in checks and cash, the duo also took the credit cards and mobile phones of the victims.

A cop who robbed a couple of millions of pesos has been convicted. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204199

Four ex-officials of the regional agriculture office here facing graft charges were arrested, the Police Regional Office in the Caraga Region (PRO-13) said Friday.

“We are tasked to enforce the law in a manner that treats all individuals equally, regardless of their social status or positions,” PRO-13 chief, Brig. Gen. Pablo Labra II, said in a statement.

Those arrested were Edgardo Dahino, 67, former Department of Agriculture-Caraga (DA-13) assistant regional director; Jessica Da-An, 62, ex-chief administrator and finance officer; Merylinda Santos, 65, former budget officer; and Gerry Leop, 54, ex-regional accountant.

They are connected with the 2004 fertilizer fund scam allegedly masterminded by Janet Lim-Napoles, the so-called pork barrel queen.

The four former officials were allegedly responsible for the Agricultural Reinforcement Project entered into by the municipality of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte with Napoles-linked non-governmental organization Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc.

They were separately arrested Thursday in this city by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Agusan del Norte.

All four are facing charges for violation of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices) and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code for malversation.

A bail bond of PHP210,000 each was set by the Sandiganbayan 4th Division for their temporary liberty.

4 former DA employees have been charged with graft.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/06/25/2276422/marikina-cop-sacked-gunrunning

A policeman assigned in Marikina City was sacked from his post for allegedly moonlighting as a gunrunner, the Eastern Police District (EPD) reported yesterday.

EPD director Brig. Gen Wilson Asueta has ordered the administrative relief of Cpl. Carmelo Frias, who was disarmed and reassigned to the personnel holding and accounting unit of the Marikina police.

“We initiated a pre-charge investigation,” Asueta said in a text message.

Frias’ administrative relief came after he was identified by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as a member of a gunrunning syndicate.

He was spotted by CIDG agents with his cohorts at the Armscor firing range in Barangay Fortune in Marikina at around 1:25 p.m. on June 21.

CIDG director Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said Frias and the suspects were under surveillance due to reports they were illegally selling firearms and ammunition.

The syndicate operates in Rizal and nearby cities, negotiating with clients using social media platforms, Caramat said in a statement.

Acting on the information, the CIDG set up an entrapment operation against Frias and the suspects.

The policeman’s alleged cohorts – namely Jeffrey Dimaano, 30, and Joey Espana, 47 – were arrested after they received P45,000 in marked money from an undercover CIDG officer.

Frias, however, managed to escape.

Seized from the suspects were a 9mm Uzi pistol, a 9mm pistol, 32 rounds of ammunition, two cell phones and a motorcycle.

Frias and the other suspects were charged with violating Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.

A cop has been sacked for gunrunning but remains on the lam. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/27/barangay-captain-in-iloilo-arrested-for-shabu-unlicensed-firearms

Police arrested a barangay captain in San Enrique town, Iloilo province in a buy-bust operation on Monday, June 26.

The Police Regional Office-6 identified the suspect as Elvie Jirao Paez, 47, of Barangat Palje.

Paez was arrested after he sold a sachet of shabu worth to a police poseur-buyer.

Suspect yielded P35,000 worth of shabu, a 12-gauge shotgun, a revolver, and ammunition in the joint operation of the San Enrique Municipal Police Station led by Police Capt. Johnny Oro.

The PRO-6 lauded the arrest of Paez.

“An elected government official engaging in illegal drugs has no place in Western Visayas,” said Police Brig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor, PRO-6 acting director, in a statement on Tuesday, June 27.

He cited the people for providing police with information on the suspect’s activities.

“The police cannot do it alone. We thank the community for giving us valuable information that resulted in this high-impact accomplishment,” added Villaflor.

Suspect is facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act and the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

A barangay captain has been arrested on drugs and weapons charges. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1781619/sandiganbayan-orders-arrest-of-antique-gov-for-graft

The Sandiganbayan has issued an arrest warrant against Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao on accusations of violating the country’s anti-graft law.

Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta, chairperson of the anti-graft court’s seventh division, ordered on Wednesday, June 7, the local police and the National Bureau of Investigation to arrest Cadiao.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Provincial General Services Office head Antonio Dela Vega, who was reassigned to their Culasi satellite office located 100 kilometers away from the provincial capitol in the capital San Jose town.

The Civil Service Commission eventually ordered his reinstatement.

In 2018, Dela Vega also filed a complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas, claiming that the governor did not sign his Daily Time Record, which led to the non-release of his benefits by the provincial accountant and provincial treasurer amounting to P1,664,810.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente found probable cause to charge the governor in court in a September 2, 2019 resolution.

The findings were approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires in 2021.

The Governor of Antique has been arrested on graft charges. She has denied the charges and called for unity. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/27/23/ex-water-district-exec-found-guilty-over-p10-m-ghost-project

Former Tugaya, Lanao del Sur Water District acting general manager Jamaloden Hadgi Faisal was found guilty by the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division over a P10 million fictitious water supply project in 2011.

In the decision of the court promulgated on June 23, 2023, Faisal was sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua for malversation of public funds as well as 6 to 10 years for graft.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine equal to the amount malversed. 

“The injury to the government is apparent considering that the prosecution was able to prove that the water supply improvement project of Tugaya Water District was neither implemented nor partly completed and that accused Faisal was able to appropriate the said funds by utilizing the falsified accomplishment report,” the court said. 

The court noted in the decision that during the trial, defense witness Sahania Sumndad-Amito was not allowed to testify. But her counsel made a tender of excluded evidence that if she were allowed to testify, she would say that the appointment letter of Faisal was not an official form.

But the court noted that aside from his appointment paper signed by the town mayor, the prosecution also presented documentary evidence that Faisal was one of the authorized signatories who could transact with the Philippine National Bank on behalf of the water district.

The court underscored that based on the verification done by the National Bureau of Investigation, the supposed project was neither implemented nor partly completed.

“The court finds that the Tugaya Water District, under the leadership of accused Faisal, did not implement the water supply improvement project,” the court said.

A former water district executive has been found guilty of malversation over a ghost project. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/25/teacher-nabbed-for-rape-in-laguna

Police apprehended a teacher for rape in Rizal, this province, on Friday, June 23.

Police Col. Randy Glenn Silvio, Laguna police chief, identified the suspect as “Joven.”

Police Capt. Rolly Dahus, town police chief, said Joven was tagged as the most wanted person on the regional level and apprehended at 6:15 p.m. based on a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Ave Zurbito-Alba, acting Presiding Judge, Branch 8, Family Court, City of Calamba, Laguna for rape under Republic Act (RA) 7877 (Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995).

Suspect is in the custody of the Rizal municipal police station.

Silvio said there is no letup in their campaign to arrest wanted persons in Laguna.

“Our law does not discriminate, no matter who you are or whether you are a government employee or not if you have committed a crime against the law, you must be held accountable,” he said.

A teacher has been arrested on rape charges.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/512612/coa-flags-liloan-for-buying-207-pieces-of-lechon-totaling-p1-357-million

The Liloan Municipal Government purchased “207 pieces of lechon totaling P1.357 million for team buildings, religious activities, founding anniversaries of private groups, graduation exercises, general assemblies, get-togethers, among others” that were deemed “irregular and unnecessary” by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Government auditors said some of the purchases violated the prohibition on the spending of government funds for “religious or private purposes.” Auditors reported that Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco already prohibited the granting of all future requests for lechons for any activity or gathering.

We asked Mayor Frasco for a comment on the COA findings through his protocol officer and were told that he will give his side on Tuesday.

The lechon purchases were among the key findings by government auditors in the 2022 annual audit report of the town’s finances released recently by COA.

COA said in its report that the lechon purchases deprived “the constituents of projects or services that could have been derived from the use of the said funds.”

Auditors also pointed out that Section 335 of R.A. No. 7160 or the Local Government Code “provides that no public money or property shall be appropriated or applied for religious or private purposes.”

COA said some of the lechons were purchased for “Pastoral Parish Council and other religious groups such as the Knights of Columbus for their events, team buildings, get together, induction, oathtaking, thanksgiving and assemblies.”

Mayor Frasco told auditors that Liloan did not buy the lechons but “simply made a cash donation for cultural activity.” He said it was the recipients who decided to buy lechon “in consonance with the Filipino tradition of highlighting any gathering with (roast pig).”

Auditors, however, contested this, saying “the disbursement vouchers and its supporting documents (show) it was the Municipality’s BAC who procured these lechons.”

The Liloan Municipal Government has many financial anomnalies including buying a million pesos worth of lechon for various groups.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204422

A security screening officer was arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, the Officer for Transportation Security (OTS) bared on Tuesday.

The alleged theft happened around 6:30 p.m. Monday when Rudolf Aquinde apparently took a mobile phone from a charging station inside the terminal, OTS Public Affairs Division officer-in-charge Kim Marquez told the Philippine News Agency.

The OTS on Tuesday said that upon review of the security camera footage, Aquinde was seen taking the mobile phone and placing it inside his safety vest.

The phone reportedly belongs to an airport wheelchair attendant.

"The APD (Airport Police Department) immediately went down to the baggage make-up area and identified Aquinde who was then wearing the same vest and eyeglasses. The latter was invited for inquiry, and during this time, Aquinde took out from his pocket the said missing mobile phone, and he was subsequently arrested," the OTS report stated.

Marquez said that at around 10 p.m., Aquinde was brought to the Police Intelligence and Investigation Division for further investigation and subsequent inquest proceedings.

An airport screener has been busted for theft.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/874057/ex-sulu-town-vice-mayor-pando-mudjasan-recruiting-potential-armed-group-ahead-of-bske-pnp/story

Former Maimbung, Sulu vice mayor Pando Mudjasan has been recruiting civilians for a potential private armed group that may be used in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

Interviewed on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said this is one of the reasons why law enforcement authorities conducted an operation against Mudjasan last Saturday.

(The joint forces of the PNP and AFP launched the law enforcement operation because we monitored he was already recruiting armed civilians.)

(And we already classify it as a potential armed group that, we believe, may be used in the upcoming BSKE.)

Aside from serving arrest warrants for murder to Mudjasan, Fajardo said authorities were also supposed to implement search warrants against the former vice mayor over supposed illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

A firefight broke out between state forces and Mudjasan's group during the operation but authorities failed to arrest the former official. The firefight left six people dead, two of them perishing while undergoing treatment.

“Isa po namatay sa government side, 'yung Special Action Force trooper po, and five sa enemy side po (One fatality was reported from the government side, a Special Action Force trooper, and five from Mudjasan’s side),” Fajardo told GMA News Online in a message.

A former vice mayor wanted for murder is amassing a private armed group. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: British Empire Medal, Pandemic Airfare Relief Act, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.

Bongbong Marcos has urged everyone to get vaccinated to prevent a pandemic resurgence. This despite the vaccine not being able to prevent infection.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1791150/marcos-urges-unvaccinated-filipinos-to-get-covid-19-shots

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. pleaded with the unprotected population to get vaccinated for fear of a pandemic resurgence.

On Wednesday, the President spoke at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City’s bivalent vaccine launch, where 2,500 healthcare personnel were scheduled to get additional Omicron variant inoculation.

“Let this occasion serve as a call to every Filipino to continue doing your part. Get updated on your COVID-19 vaccination to prevent a resurgence, as a means of honoring those who sacrificed their lives during the pandemic. I thus appeal to everyone, especially those who have yet to receive their primary series of vaccinations, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. This is not for your own good alone but also for the protection of your families and the general public,” said Marcos during his address.

Marcos also said that vaccination was necessary to be able to work.

(Let us all get vaccinated so we do not get sick so that we can return to work quickly and do everything we want to do because we are safe from illness.)

Vaccination is necessary to be able to work? What is he talking about? There is no vaccine mandate and many people have gone back to work already vaccinated or not!

Marcos also says that getting vaccinated is a way to honor health workers. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/21/marcos-we-owe-a-debt-to-covid-vax-makers-health-workers

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, June 21, hailed those behind the manufacturing and administering of the Covid-19 vaccines as he credited them for allowing society to return to normalcy.

He urged Filipinos to honor the scientists, manufacturers and healthcare workers who dedicated their lives to the discovery of the vaccine and taking care of those who caught the virus.

As a way to recognize their efforts, the Chief Executive asked Filipinos to get themselves vaccinated.

“We certainly owe a debt as well to our vaccine manufacturers, our scientists, our healthcare workers, and everyone who gave so much, so that the world could return to a state of normalcy,” he said during the launch of the bivalent Covid-19 vaccination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

“Let this occasion serve as a call to every Filipino to continue doing your part [and] get updated on your Covid-19 vaccination to prevent a resurgence, (and) as a means of honoring those who sacrificed their lives during the pandemic,” he added.

Marcos assuaged the public’s concerns on receiving the jabs, and stressed that the government has science-based strategies and a whole-of-society approach in administering the vaccines.

He then urged newly appointed Health Secretary Ted Herbosa to strengthen the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts to protect the Filipino people against all health risks.

“I urge all of us to remain relentless in our fight against Covid-19 and all other infectious diseases that threaten the country,” the President said.

“As long as we exhibit discipline, observe cleanliness and practice cooperation, we will overcome the residual challenges that are still posed by Covid-19 and emerge stronger than ever as members of a healthy, resilient and productive Philippine society,” he added.

He also called on the public not to let their “guard down” because although the state of emergency seems to have ended, “it is not over completely.”

The state emergency SEEMS to have ended but is not over completely? Then why did he end the state of emergency!? Well, he did not. He only lifted the state of calamity.

 But the new DOH Secretary wants the state of emergency lifted. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/873987/herbosa-to-seek-lifting-of-philippine-covid-19-public-health-emergency/story/

In an ambush interview, Herbosa stressed that COVID-19 no longer posed an emergency and could be treated as any other disease that the Department of Health (DOH) monitors, like influenza, cough, and cold.

“Actually, wala nang emergency eh, 'di ba? (there is no longer an emergency). I think I would actually ask the lifting of the public health emergency in the country,” he said.

Then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency during the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Under Proclamation 922, the state of public health emergency would remain in force and effect until lifted or withdrawn by the President.

In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 no longer represented a global health emergency.

Herbosa, however, said that the alert level system would remain.

“The alert level system will stay because that’s a system like the typhoon signal that stays. But actually hindi na siya (that’s no longer a) public health emergency. Wala nang (there’s no) public health emergency,” he added.

In April, former DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the Philippines may only declare an end to its COVID-19 public health emergency if infections and hospital utilization remained manageable.

The alert system will remain despite the lack of an emergency. We have been told many times that the situation is manageable so why is the public health emergency still in place? 

As a show of thanks for donating bivalent vaccines Marcos wants to forge stronger ties with Lithuania.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/21/pbbm-eyes-deeper-ph-lithuania-ties-following-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-donation

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has expressed his intention to further strengthen the Philippines' ties with the Republic of Lithuania following the latter's donation of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines.

Marcos said this as he led the launch of the said Covid-19 vaccines at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City on Wednesday, June 21.

In his speech, the President lauded the European country for its generosity.

"The Philippines conveys its gratitude to the Republic of Lithuania for their generosity and their donation of the country's first batch of bivalent vaccines," he said.

"I am hopeful that we will further deepen our cooperation in such areas as well as sustain this bond of friendship that we have strengthened now," he added.

"Rest assured that this government, under this administration, treasures that special relationship, and your act of generosity today will certainly not go unnoticed or ever be forgotten," he continued.

The Philippines and Lithuania will celebrate 32 years of diplomatic relations in December this year.

What exactly can the Philippines do for Lithuania?

When the lockdowns were first imposed everything came to a halt including air travel. One proposed law seeks to remedy the type of hassle travelers experienced when that happened.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204070

House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Thursday urged her colleagues to pass a measure seeking to ensure that the rights and interests of airline passengers are well-protected during times of natural disasters or pandemics.

The lady solon led the minority bloc in filing House Bill 8556 or “the Pandemic Airfare Relief Act” to provide a uniform scheme for refund and rebooking of airline tickets in flights affected by prolonged natural calamities or pandemics.

Castro said aside from providing a set of guidelines in cases of refund and ticket rebooking, the bill also aims to ensure that airlines are held accountable for any disruptions caused by these events.

"During times of natural disasters or pandemics, airline passengers are among the most vulnerable. They are often left stranded and unsure of what their rights are when it comes to refunds and rebooking of their flights,” she said.

The bill, she added, would provide a clear and uniform set of guidelines “for both passengers and airlines to follow.”

She pointed out that this proposed measure is particularly important given the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, which has disrupted air travel and left many passengers stranded or unable to travel as planned.

"We urge our fellow lawmakers to support this bill and ensure that the rights and interests of airline passengers are protected during times of natural disasters or pandemics," Castro said.

What is this lady talking about? The WHO has declared the pandemic to be over essentially and air travel is back to normal. All travel has been back to normal for over a year. But this law could come in handy in the future.

Two Filipino nurses in Britain are getting noticed. One of them received a British Empire Medal. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/content/873636/filipino-nurse-gets-british-empire-medal-for-service-during-pandemic/story/

A Filipina nurse was awarded the British Empire Medal for her outstanding service during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's really overwhelming nakakataba ng puso na yung ginagawa pala natin napapansin din ng iba," said Louie Horne during an interview with Oscar Oida on "24 Oras."

Horne was among the individuals recognized as the Medalist of the Order of the British Empire, an award given as part of the birthday celebration of King Charles III.

She was also invited to the British Asian Evening at the Buckingham Palace.

"Marami tayong namatay during the pandemic na mga Filipino and for some reason sa akin sila lumalapit and then I end up repatriating the body, supporting the family, pinaglalaban ko talaga kung magkano makukha nila," Horne said.

Horne, who flew to the UK in 2000 from her hometown in Albay to work as a nurse, is now the Deputy Associate Director of Nursing and Clinical Research Fellow at the National Health Service England.

She was also awarded the Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholarship and Chief Nursing Officer Silver Award for her service during the pandemic.

Like any other overseas Filipino worker, she also experienced challenges, such as discrimination.

"So many different kinds of discrimination, yes, I went through it pero ang ano doon kasi, you can't let it bring you down, you know. Iiyak ka 'pag sinabing bumalik ka na sa country mo may mga ganon. Pero you have to choose your battle wherever you go in this world there will be battles, and you have to survive, and people will see that you are not just anyone that they can take down," she said.

And the other, May Parsons who was the first person to jab someone with the COVID-19 vaccine, is forming a charity to help nurses in the Philippines. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/pinoyabroad/dispatch/874181/fil-brit-nurse-who-gave-world-s-first-covid-19-jab-forms-charity/story

May Parsons, the Filipino-British nurse who administered the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, has come back to the Philippines to establish a charity to help Filipino nursing graduates and licensed nurses get into the profession.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Parsons said that she has partnered with the Occupational English-Test to fund the May Parsons Foundation to give back to the Filipino nursing community, which she stressed experienced a lot of “horror stories,” especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

(What I intend to do is help our student nurses to continue their studies, and also my fellow nurses who did not pass the board exam to review so that they can get a license and work as nurses. I also want to encourage the nurses who are in call centers or in any industry to return to nursing.)

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has raised concerns regarding the lack of nurses in government hospitals, noting that 4,500 plantilla items for nurses are currently vacant in over 70 hospitals of the Department of Health (DOH) nationwide.

For her part, Parsons said she is willing to talk with Herbosa to know the rationale behind his proposal and to give suggestions on how to improve the condition of nurses working in the Philippines.

She lamented that the brain drain of Filipino nurses usually stemmed from the lack of better salary and benefits, particularly in private hospitals.

(There are many nurses here who are not in the nursing industry. They are in the call center. They work there because the salary is higher. They also said it is difficult to get a job in a government hospital, that’s why they get in private hospitals which give salaries that are not enough.)

Funny that she is talking about stoping the brain drain when she ran off to the UK for a higher salary!

Hi, My Name is...37

Let's meet some husbands and wives. Sometimes marriage is not all it's cut out to be. And sometimes it is!

Hi, my name is Francisco Macaraig. Because I was intensely jealous of my wife I stabbed her reapteadly while she was in the kitchen. Then I ran away. Later when I was sure the coast was clear I returned to my house and hung myself. My wife survived though. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1749133/man-stabs-wife-then-hangs-himself-in-quezon-province

A man stabbed his wife, a 58-year-old teacher, then killed himself on Monday, March 27, in San Francisco town in Quezon province.

The Quezon police said in a report Tuesday, March 28, that at around noon., Francisco Macaraig, 61, stabbed his wife Melanie repeatedly using a knife while she was in the kitchen inside their house in Barangay Poblacion.

The victim survived despite her wounds, but the suspect fled after the incident.

Later, the police found him dead inside the house after he returned home to hang himself.

The police are conducting further investigation eyeing “intense jealousy” as the possible motive behind the stabbing.

The victim was transferred to a hospital in this city for further treatment.

Hi, my name is Lindio Ejercito. My wife Analita and I got into a heated argument because se said she was planning to leave me. Naturally I picked up a knife and stabbed her repeatedly until she died. She left me but not the way she intended. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1603425/man-faces-parricide-raps-for-killing-wife-in-negros-oriental

A 40-year-old man faces parricide charges after being arrested Thursday for allegedly killing his wife in Barangay Sacsac, Manjuyod town, Negros Oriental.

Lindio Ejercito, 40, stabbed his wife Analita multiple times while arguing with each other over the latter’s plan to leave the suspect, said Staff Sergeant Elixir Badoy of the Manjuyod police.

“After receiving a report, we immediately responded to the crime scene and were able to arrest the suspect,” Badoy said.

Authorities were still waiting for the post-mortem examination results of the wife’s body, to be used to file the charges against Ejercito.

Hi, my name is Aries Coquilla. While distraught and in a state of emotional distress I was brandishing a bolo. My wife and an old man tried to stop me but I ended up stabbing them both as well as my daughter. My wife survived but the old man died. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1636153/man-kills-old-woman-wounds-wife-3-year-old-kid-in-manila

A construction worker has been arrested for killing a senior citizen and stabbing his wife and their three-year-old daughter in Tondo, Manila, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the Manila Police District (MPD).

The MPD said the suspect — identified as Aries Coquilla, 36 — was “apparently under emotional distress” when he caused a public scandal while holding a bolo on Dagupan Extension in Barangay 163, Zone 14, on Tuesday afternoon.

When the victims tried to pacify him, the suspect stabbed them.

Responding police officers eventually subdued Coquilla and seized his bolo, which was approximately 34 inches long, according to the report.

The suspect’s wife and daughter, who were not named in the MPD report, and Emedina Nabua, 69, were rushed to the Jose Reyes Medical Center, where Nabua was later declared dead.

The suspect is facing two counts of frustrated parricide and alarm and scandal.

Hi, my name is Niña Dugoc. During a heated argument with my common-law husband I pulled out a pistol and shot him dead. Then I ran off into the night. But he was no good anyway. A drug user, a thief, and even a killer. To hear his sister tell it he murdered his own father!

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/477317/man-shot-dead-after-argument-with-common-law-wife

A heated argument between live-in-partners resulted to the death of a 41-year-old man in Sitio Balhaan, Barangay Madridejos in Alegria, Cebu, past 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 27, 2022. 

Police Lieutenant Alexius Tangub, chief of Alegria Police Station, identified the victim as Neil Leproso, 41, a resident of Sitio Balhaan. 

Leproso was allegedly shot dead by his common-law-wife, Niña Dugoc, using a .45 caliber pistol. 

Dugoc remains at large as she fled after the shooting. 

Initial investigation of the police showed that the two were engaged in a heated argument before the shooting happened. 

Neighbors then heard three gun shots before noticing the suspect leaving the area. They later found Leproso lying on the floor. 

Witnesses said they saw Dugoc board a motorcycle that drove towards Badian town, which is north of Alegria. 

Tangub said that they are still investigating if the motorcycle driver was her accomplice.

Police investigation showed that the victim was previously arrested for the illegal possession of firearms and was released from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) in Barangay Kalunasan in Cebu City last May 24, 2022. 

Tangub said the victim rarely went outside his house.

“Dili sila the usual nga pagka live-in nga magkauban og puyo. Talagsa rapod ni mag adtuan ang suspect sa ilang balay sa Alegria,” Tangub said

Tangub also said that the victim’s sister told them that Leproso allegedly killed his own father. But when police checked their records, this said crime was not reported nor filed in their station. 

The victim is also tagged in theft and frustrated murder offenses.  However, they have yet to know if the victim was involved in illegal drug activities. But police said the victim’s sister alleged that Leproso was a drug user. 

Hi, my name is .Joan Fajardo Moises. Due to economic troubles I was forced to move to Manila and drive a cap in order to support my family. She stayed behind in Canalon City and then moved to Cebu to find work. Eventually she met a guy on Facebook and abandoned our four children. She lived with him for a month before I was able to catch them with the help of the police. Now they will both be facing adultery cases.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1948182/cebu/local-news/wife-leaves-husband-children-for-man-she-met-on-facebook

A 32-YEAR-OLD woman and her lover whom she met via social networking site Facebook were arrested after they were caught sleeping together by the former’s husband in Barangay Jampang, Argao, Cebu.

Arrested were Darlyn Tejero Moises, 32, a native of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental; and Joshua Campaner Camahalan, 21, a resident of Upper Candabong, Sitio Jampang in Argao, around 11 p.m. Wednesday, December 7, 2022.

The complainant was identified as Joan Fajardo Moises, 39, driver and resident of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.

Police Staff Sergeant John Mark Canonigo of Argao Police Station told SunStar Superbalita Cebu that Joan asked for the police’s help after finding out that the woman abandoned her four children aged 12, 9, 5 and 2.

Joan said he found out that his wife cohabited with her lover, whom she met through Facebook.

Canonigo said Darlyn and Joshua were living together in Upper Candabong, Sitio Jampang in Argao for a month already.

"Kana sa FB, diha sila nagka-ilhanay. Na in love, gibiyaan sa babaye ang pamilya," said Canonigo.

(They met through Facebook. She fell in love, then abandoned her family.)

Police said Joan had been working as a driver in Manila.

Darlyn reportedly told police that her husband had not been sending her money to support their children, prompting her to move to Cebu to find work.

She then met Joshua on Facebook and fell in love with him.

Canonigo said Joan is bent on filing an adultery case against his wife and her lover.

Hi, my name is Ronalyn Pasana. My husband Kerwin, who was a PNP officer, and I got into a fight at about 2 a.m. It got real heated. In my anger I picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital but declared dead on arrival. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/480724/cop-dies-after-being-stabbed-by-wife-in-leyte

A police officer died after being stabbed by his wife during an argument in Barangay (village) Pawing, Palo town in Leyte at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Police Staff Sergeant Kerwin Pasana, 47, was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

His wife, Ronalyn, 33, was detained at the Palo Municipal Police Station pending the filing of charges against her before the prosecutor’s office next week.

Based on police investigation, the couple had an argument at about 2 a.m. on Saturday.

At the height of the argument, Ronalyn stabbed her husband with a kitchen knife.

The kitchen knife used in the fatal stabbing was recovered by responding barangay tanods (watchmen) who then turned it over to the police.

Hi, my name is Ronald St. Jean and I am a Canadian. I got into a heated argument with my wife. It was so hot that the neighbors called the police. When they arrived I pepper sprayed them and ran into my bedroom where I slit my wrist and stabbed myself in the chest. My wife died from a knife wound to the chest. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/12/canadian-kills-self-after-stabbing-wife-to-death-in-bacolod-1

A heated argument on finances triggered a Canadian national to stab his wife to death before killing himself inside their apartment in Barangay Singcang-Airport here on Friday, May 12.

Police withheld the name of the 50-year-old victim, who was a call center agent, upon the request of her family.

Her husband was identified by police as Ronald St. Jean, 55.

Police Capt. Glenn Montaño, head of Police Station 8, said the couple was heard by their neighbors arguing, prompting them to call for police assistance.

When the policemen responded, the suspect allegedly sprayed pepper spray on one of them, and went to a bedroom.

Montaño said the suspect then stabbed himself in the chest and slashed his wrist. The wife suffered a lone stab wound in the chest.

He said they negotiated with the suspect to surrender, but he refused. He was neutralized after about 40 minutes when he asked for water and slipped on the floor.

The couple was taken to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) here. The victim was declared dead on arrival while the suspect passed away later, Montaño said.

Montaño said the couple was renting the apartment. They had two male children aged 7 and 11, who were brought by their helper to the victim’s relative nearby before the incident happened.

Hi, my name is Jemar Segapo. On Mother's Day I got into a heated argument with my wife Yonilyn. It got so heated I lost my temper and shot her dead. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/16/man-slays-wife-on-mother-s-day-during-confrontation-on-illicit-affair

A 29-year-old man gunned down his wife after she confronted him over his alleged affair with another woman in Barangay Kaltuad, Glan, Sarangani on Mother’s Day.

Police said the suspect, Jemar Segapo, lost his temper and shot the victim, Yonilyn, with a .45 caliber pistol in the head.

Responding police officers arrested the suspect and recovered the murder weapon.

Police Lt. Col. Giovanni Ladeo, Glan police chief, said Jemar faces parricide and illegal possession of firearm charges.

Hi, my name is Homer Olivo. I confronted my wife because I suspected her of having an affair. Greatly inflamed with jealously I pulled out my bolo and hacked her to death. The cops caught me but while in custody I climbed up through the restroom ceiling and onto the wall outside.  Then I jumped down and smashed my head. I died hours later. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/507595/husband-dies-hours-after-hacking-wife-to-death-in-tabuelan-cebuhusband-dies-hours-after-hacking-wife-to-death-in-tabuelan-cebuhusband-dies-hours-after-hacking-wife-to-death-in-tabuelan

The 48-year-old man accused of hacking to death his wife in Tabuelan town, Cebu last May 30, 2023 has died.

Police in Tabuelan confirmed that Homer Olivo died around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, barely a day after they arrested him for hacking his wife, Janice Olivo, to death.

Police Captain Gerald Casalme, chief of Tabuelan Police Station, said their findings showed that Homer may have taken his own life while in detention.

The suspect reportedly climbed up on the restroom ceiling in the detention cell and then jumped off from the wall, said Casalme.

Other detainees alerted police officers on duty about what happened.

Police rushed Homer to a hospital but physicians declared him dead on arrival due to the injuries he sustained on his head. Apparently, Homer dove headfirst after climbing from the restroom’s ceiling.

Homer was arrested past 10 p.m. on May 30 when he stabbed and hacked Janice multiple times in their house in Sitio Ibabao, Brgy. Poblacion in Tabuelan.

Based on investigation, the husband admitted to committing the heinous crime, which transpired past 9 p.m. He told police that he hacked his wife out of jealousy.

The couple apparently got into a heated altercation prior to the incident. Homer reportedly suspected Janice was having an affair.

The suspect went out after the verbal fight but just after a few minutes, he fetched his bolo and then proceeded to their bedroom to stab Janice in her back multiple times.

He left his wife bathed in her blood but police managed to arrest him with the help of a concerned citizen.

Casalme said jealousy may have been Homer’s motive in hacking his wife to death. His father, Gregorio Olivo, also said his son had been using illegal drugs, which may have influenced his recent behavior.

In the meantime, investigation continues to verify reports on Homer’s alleged substance abuse.

“According to his relatives, as well as the victim’s family, he wasn’t violent, until recently,” Casalme said.

Tabuelan is a fourth-class municipality located approximately 103 kilometers northwest of Cebu City.

Hi, my name is being withheld. I am a South Korean national. In South Korea I murdered my Filipina wife and disposed of her body at a reservoir. Then I ran away to the Philippines. The PNP caught me at my condo in Manila but I was able to escape the detention facility at NAIA. But they nabbed me again and now I once more await being deported. 

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/215434/south-korean-man-nabbed-after-escaping-police-amid-suspicion-of-killing-filipina-wife

A murder suspect fleeing from South Korean and Philippines’ authorities has been apprehended in Manila, South Korean police said Tuesday.

According to the South Korean police agency, the suspect was spotted at a condo in Manila on Monday. The suspect is a South Korean male in his 30s who fled to the Philippines after allegedly murdering his wife, a national of the Philippines, earlier this year.

Police believe the suspect murdered his wife and disposed of the body at a reservoir in Gonam-myeon, South Chungcheong Province.

The suspect had initially been apprehended in the Philippines in February, but he escaped from the detention center at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila while waiting for the Philippine government’s decision on his deportation to South Korea.

“We will investigate the case in depth as soon as the suspect is brought back to South Korea,” police here said.

Hi, my name is Jerry Sabando. I wanted to spend Father's Day with my son so I went to my ex-girlfriend's house to pick him up. But I was drunk and my son did not not want to come with me. His mother also did not want him to go with me. So, I pulled out a knife to stab her. That was when her boyfriend pulled out a gun a shot me in the face, killing me. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1790057/man-who-wants-to-be-with-son-on-fathers-day-shot-dead-in-quezon-province

A 38-year-old man, who wanted to be with his son on Father’s Day, was killed on Sunday, June 18, in the island town of Burdeos in Quezon province.

The Quezon police reported that Jerry Sabando went, around 4 p.m., to the house of his former-live-in partner in Barangay Aluyon “to kiss and get his son.”

But Sabando’s ex-girlfriend, the mother of his son refused, which prompted him to pull out a knife to stab her.

But the woman’s current live-in-partner, Kevin Aguila, 31, intervened and shot Sabando in his face using a caliber .38 revolver, investigators said. Sadando died while being taken to the hospital.

Aguila was arrested in a follow-up operation.

Captain Benito Nevera, Burdeos police chief, described the incident as “tragic.”

“The victim just wanted to be with his son on Father’s Day,” he said in a phone interview Monday morning.

Nevera said Sabando, who was drunk, was possibly further infuriated because his 8-year-old son refused to go with him.

Sabando also challenged the suspect, which prompted the latter to shoot him, Nevera said. 

Hi, my name is Mr. Parila. I am unemployed because I take care of one of my children who is autistic.  My wife is a teacher, or she was a teacher. Many times I confronted her about being unfaithul. Finally I couldn't take it anymore so I hacked her head off. But I didn't hit hard enough so she was only cut. However the cut was deep enough to bleed out, killing her. Now I am on the run and my two children are without parents. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/06/26/2276690/man-kills-wife-zamboanga-del-sur-during-jealous-rage-police

A man killed his wife, who worked as a teacher, in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur on Sunday during a jealous rage, the police said.

In separate reports Monday, the Dumalinao Municipal Police Station and the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office identified the victim as Cirila Solis Parila, 48, a teacher in the Rebokon Agricultural and Vocational School in Dumalinao.

Parila died from a hack wound in the neck, according to police reports.

Neighbors told authorities they saw the victim’s husband, Allan, 50, leave their house in haste at past 8:00 a.m. Sunday, after their loud altercation.

Relatives of Parila have confirmed that the suspect had confronted her many times over suspicions that she’s having an affair with another man.

Neighbors also reportedly overheard Allan threatening to kill his wife before Sunday’s incident.

The couple’s daughter, Azel Jean, said his father, now at large, is unemployed for personally taking care of her autistic sibling, now being watched over by their close relatives.

The police and local officials in Dumalinao are searching for the suspect.