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.