Retards in the Government 318

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

 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/8/barangay-captain-gunned-down-after-accosting-man-for-unruly-behavior

A barangay captain was gunned down after accosting a man for unruly behavior in a basketball tournament in Barangay Guis-Guis San Roque here on Friday night, July 7.

Police identified the victim as 62-year-old Barangay Guis-Guis San Roque Captain Benedicto Alcaide Robo.

Initial investigation said the victim approached the suspect, Marvin Fajarda Flores, alias “Pong-Pong,” aged 40 to 50, and a resident of Barangay Bignay 2 here, to caution him about his conduct.

A heated argument ensued after which the victim went outside the court to eat where the suspect confronted Robo and shot him at close range.

Flores fled and Robo was taken to a hospital here where he died while being treated for bullet wounds.

Police have deployed a tracker team and a murder case is being prepared against the suspect.

A barnagay captain has been gunned down. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1799010/2-rogue-cops-nabbed-for-extortion-try-of-egyptian-in-cavite

Two police officers have been arrested in Dasmariñas City, Cavite for allegedly attempting to extort money from an Egyptian national, police said Saturday.

In a belated report, Cavite police said operatives from Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) nabbed Staff Sergeant Randy Batonginog, who is assigned at Imus City police station, and Corporal Roderick Bajado, a member of Dasmariñas police, during an entrapment operation inside a subdivision in Barangay (village) Salitran 4 on Thursday, July 6.

The operation stemmed from a complaint by an Egyptian national, who was unidentified in the report, for alleged robbery extortion against the two policemen.

According to the report, on July 2, Bajado went to the house of the Egyptian, accompanied by an alleged victim of attempted rape, asking for the settlement of the charges against the foreigner. The Egyptian denied committing the alleged attempted rape.

The report said the cop and the family of the supposed victim allegedly demanded P200,000 from the Egyptian “or else there will be cases filed, prison, and postings on social media, which will destroy his reputation.”

At around 5 p.m. on July 6, Bajado and his cohort, Batonginog, were collared by IMEG operatives after they were caught in the act of receiving the marked money in exchange for not filing the attempted rape against the Egyptian.

The lawmen immediately seized the service firearms of the two rouge cops before they were brought to Police Region 4A headquarters in Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna for further investigation and eventual filing of charges.

Two cops have been arrested for extortion.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/8/sandigan-affirms-graft-conviction-of-ex-agriculture-regional-budget-officer

The Sandiganbayan has affirmed the conviction of former Department of Agriculture (DA) regional budget officer Lourdes V. Gonzales for graft in the irregular procurement of fertilizer and seeds in 2004.

Gonzales and former DA administrative officer Francisco C. Casil were convicted of graft and sentenced to six to 10 years imprisonment.

They were also barred perpetually from holding public office and ordered to reimburse DA’s regional field office 1 of P3.4 million, the money paid to Farmate International Technologies, Inc. (FITI) and CLFAC for the 2,166 bottles of Farmate HMZ 2000 and 584 bottles of Algazinc Plus, respectively.

They were acquitted in two other graft charges for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt.

Gonzales appealed her conviction.  She told the court that her membership in the bids and awards committee (BAC) does not by itself produce the crime of graft.

She pointed out that the evidence of the prosecution is "hearsay and inadmissible" because witnesses who had firsthand knowledge of the transactions did not testify.

But the Sandiganbayan said: "The arguments of accused Gonzales on the violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 are without merit. These are the same issues and arguments that have already been considered and passed upon by the court."

The court pointed out that the public documents produced by the prosecution enjoy presumption of regularity and prima facie evidence of the facts stated.

It stressed that the trustworthiness of the public documents was given value because of the sense of official duty in the preparation of the statement made.

A former regional DA budget officer has been convicted of graft.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/07/08/2279512/coa-flags-dpwh-over-p962-billion-delayed-projects

The completion of 2,395 locally funded projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with an aggregate cost of P96.219 billion has been delayed, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).

The projects include school buildings and farm-to-market roads.

The COA said delays in the implementation of the projects were mainly due to the “inadequate planning, detailed engineering, supervision and monitoring” of the DPWH.

At least 1,798 of the projects, with a total cost of P60.078 billion, were not completed within the specific contract time or completion dates.

A total of 413 projects amounting to P27.474 billion were suspended.

Ninety projects with an aggregate cost of P5.114 billion were terminated or are up for termination while 94 others worth P3.553 billion have not been started as of the end of 2022.

The COA said the project delays should be immediately addressed.

The audit body also flagged the DPWH for defects in 653 infrastructure projects amounting to P369.173 million.

In its 2022 annual audit report on the DPWH, the COA said the defects were due to the lack of proper monitoring and supervision.

Among the technical defects and deficiencies observed were the use of inferior quality or substandard materials and poor workmanship.

In some projects, the COA said the actual work accomplishments were less than what was reported and paid for.

The defects may ”compromise” public safety, cause further destruction of the infrastructure and result in wastage of government funds, the COA said.

The COA has flagged the DPWH for billions worth of unfinished projects. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/875097/nfa-failed-to-meet-rice-buffer-requirement-in-2022-coa/story

The National Food Authority (NFA) has failed to meet the optimum level of national rice buffer stock requirement of 300,000 metric tons at any given time in 2022, according to the Commission on Audit's (COA) annual report. 

COA said that the rice buffer for the entire year of 2022 only ranged from around 111,000 to 182,000 metric tons.

The number of NFA buying stations and mobile procurement teams also significantly decreased from 598 in 2020 to 232 in 2022 due to the NFA restructuring program pursuant to RA No. 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law, according to COA.

The state auditor noted that's despite the full receipt of the P7 billion subsidy from the national government.

COA added that the NFA posted a shortfall of 177,349 MT, or 36.95 percent, of the targeted palay procurement of 480,000 MT and had inadequate information dissemination of their palay procurement program.

“[A] review of the 2022 reports of the NFA on its Annual Accomplishment and the Budget and Financial Accountability showed that, despite NFA’s full receipt of the P7.000 billion government subsidy, only P5.750 billion was disbursed for the 302,651 MT of palay procured or 63.05 percent of the targeted 480,000 MT of palay for 2022,” COA said.

“The inability to maintain the optimum level of national rice buffer stocking requirement of 300,000 MT at any given time pursuant to NFA Council Resolution No. 999-2021-B dated February 16, 2021, poses risk to the country’s food security in cases of calamity and emergency situations, or non-sustenance of the disaster relief programs of the government during natural or man-made calamities. Likewise, it might result in the shortage of rice supply and higher prices of commercial rice in the market,” COA added.

The COA has flagged the NFA for not maintaining the nation's rice supply.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1205280

The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court has convicted a former cashier of a regional office of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of malversation for misappropriating over PHP17 million of agency funds between 2002 and 2008.

The anti-graft court’s Sixth Division dismissed the appeal filed by Ferdinand Llapitan of PRC Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) and affirmed the 2019 judgment rendered by the Tuguegarao Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5.

He was sentenced to up 17 years and fined PHP17.139 million, ordering him to restitute the amount to the PRC as civil liability, with 6 percent legal interest per annum from the time of the judgment until the amount is settled.

The missing amount was discovered by the Commission on Audit (COA), covering the period Oct. 30, 2002 to Jan. 3, 2008.

Llapitan was PRC cashier from 1998 until he was terminated in 2011.

“It is settled that denial is inherently a weak defense. To be believed, it must be buttressed by a strong evidence of non-culpability; otherwise, such denial is purely self-serving and is with nil evidentiary value,” the Sandiganbayan said in its July 6 ruling shared online over the weekend.

When arraigned in 2015, Llapitan entered a plea of not guilty and presented three witnesses but had no documentary evidence.

The 2019 RTC decision said the COA findings were regular and “due process and fair play were afforded appellant.”

Llapitan was issued a demand letter to explain the shortage and produce the missing funds but he failed to do so.

His motion for reconsideration in 2020 was likewise rejected by the RTC.

A former PRC cashier has been found guilty of misappropriating funds.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/10/barangay-treasurer-in-batangas-shot-dead

A barangay treasurer was shot dead on Sunday afternoon, July 9, in this town.

The Police Regional Office 4-A identified the victim as Sheila Avelino, treasurer of Barangay Paliparan, here.

A witness said he saw the suspect Marlon Balani carrying a firearm at the crime scene.

The incident was reported by Barangay Chairman Leovino Calinisan to the Laurel Municipal Police Station.

Avelino died at the Global Medical Center in Talisay, Batangas due to bullet wounds.

Police here have dispatched a tracking team to hunt the suspect who fled after the incident.

Lawmen have yet to determine the suspect’s motive for killing Avelino.

A barangay treasurer has been assassinated. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1799593/2-cops-slain-by-motorcycle-riding-men-in-albay

Two police officers were killed while two suspects were arrested in a shooting incident on Sunday night in Oas town in Albay.

Lieutenant Colonel Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson, reported that two motorcycle-riding men shot at 11:49 p.m. Chief Master Sergeant Joseph Ostonal, 43, and Corporal Jeffrey Refereza, 35, both assigned at Oas, who were then conducting a mobile patrol in Barangay Ilaor Sur.

Responding policemen immediately conducted hot pursuit operations and arrested the suspects at a checkpoint in Barangay Basud in Polangui town.

Calubaquib identified the suspects as Richard Bonaobra, 35, and Fernan Jardinel, 37, a former Philippine Army soldier.

Jardinel had gone on absence without an official leave while stationed at the Arny’s 65th Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Division in Marawi City, Calubaquib said.

Authorities recovered a caliber .45 and the two motorcycles used by the suspects, who were under custody of the Oas town police.

Two cops have been shot dead by a soldier and his cohort. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/10/23/coa-govt-vehicle-for-pcg-commandant-luxurious

The Commission on Audit (COA) has told the Philippine Coast Guard to seek a post-facto approval from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the acquisition of a luxury vehicle worth P4.99 million.

In the 2022 audit report on the PCG, state auditors noted that the purchase is contrary to Malacañang Administrative Order No. 14 which prohibits the acquisition and use by government officials of luxury vehicles.

The auditors stated that after reviewing sales invoices, the Toyota Land Cruiser with engine displacement of 3956 CC and engine of 6 cylinders is considered a luxury vehicle based on the provisions of AO No. 14.

“In addition, it bears to note that the aforesaid vehicle was likewise requested for bulletproofing amounting to P2,800,000,” the audit report noted.

The vehicle procurement and the bulletproofing request were under the rebates program of Petron Corporation for the PCG for 2021 to 2022.

The audit report added that the necessity of acquiring new vehicles cannot be established as the PCG owns at least 459 service vehicles.

The report also revealed that 31 units of Isuzu MUX LS-A 4x2 worth P58.9 million were also purchased through the rebates program.

The COA has flagged the PCG for the illegal purchase of vehicles. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/515232/awol-cop-nabbed-for-illegal-possession-of-drugs-in-bohol

A former policeman in Bohol province was arrested in a drug bust in Barangay Tawala, Panglao town on Sunday, July 9.

Victor Licayan De Castro, 41, a former policeman of Barangay Booy, Tagbilaran City did not resist arrest.

According to the police report, the suspect was in possession of shabu (methamphetamine) weighing six grams with an estimated value of P40,800.

De Castro used to be assigned to the Bohol Tourist Police Unit in Panglao. He was transferred to the Bohol Provincial Police Office before he went on absence without leave last year.

He will be charged with violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

An AWOL cop has been busted for drugs. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/12/ex-soldier-wanted-for-murder-nabbed-in-laguna

A former Philippine Army (PA) soldier wanted for frustrated murder and murder was arrested in a manhunt operation by the Calamba City police in Barangay Makiling, Calamba City, this province, on Tuesday morning, July 11.

Laguna police director Police Col. Harold Depositar, in a report to Police Regional Office 4-A chief Police Brig. Gen. Carlito Gaces, said the suspect, “Ireneo,” a resident of Barangay Makiling, was apprehended based on a warrant of arrest for three counts of frustrated murder and murder issued by Judge Freddie Balonzo of the Regional Trial Court, Fifth Judicial Region Branch 63,  Calabanga, Camarines Sur.

Police Lt. Col. Milany Martirez, Calamba police chief, said the suspect was taken to their custodial facility.

A former soldier has been arrested on murder charges. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1800744/ex-vice-mayor-of-maguindanao-del-sur-slain-in-ambush

Unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed on Wednesday in Lambayong town, Sultan Kudarat province a former vice mayor of Rajah Buayan in Maguindanao del Sur.

Major Jhethro Doligas, Lambayong police chief, identified the victims as Sittie Jinn Utto Lumenda, who died from bullet wounds in the head.

Her father, Datu Jonathan Lumenda, was critically injured and is now undergoing treatment in a local hospital.

Doligas said the former vice mayor, also a health worker, was driving the family-owned Toyota Hi-Lux (plate number ABC-6348) when waylaid around 1 p.m. in Barangay Pingguiaman.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless killing of former vice mayor Lumenda,” Doligas said.

Police investigators are still investigating the possible motive of the attack.

A former vice mayor has been assassinated. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1205405

The Sandiganbayan has turned down the motions for reconsideration filed by a former Bukidnon lawmaker and his two co-accused in multiple counts of graft and malversation.

“The findings stand” for former Bukidnon 1st District congressman Candido Pancrudo, private individual Johanne Edward Labay of the Farmer-Business Development Corp., and former Technology Resource Center legislative liaison officer Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana.

They were convicted in April arising from the misuse of PHP36.9 million from the ex-lawmaker’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) between 2007 and 2008.

Pancrudo, 67, served from 2007 to 2010.

The ghost PDAF projects were training and livelihood seminars and purchase of training materials.

“After a careful study, the Court finds no valid reason to reconsider or modify the decision dated April 14, 2023. The arguments raised by the accused have already been considered and passed upon by the Court when it rendered the aforementioned decision,” the court said in its July 10 decision.

The four counts of malversation of public funds carried a total prison term ranging from 48 to 70 years with a fine of PHP32.8 million each.

They were sentenced to jail terms of six to 13 years for each count and fined PHP4.1 million each for malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents.

Prosecutors said the transactions did not undergo public bidding, were not liquidated, and were preferentially accommodated in the examination, processing, and approval of fund releases. 

The conviction of a former lawmaker for malversation of funds has been upheld. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/07/13/2280628/pangasinan-kagawad-held-guns

A barangay councilman was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition in Bayambang, Pangasinan on Tuesday.

Salvador Bautista, 45, of Barangay Pangdel was apprehended after a raid on his house yielded a caliber .45 pistol and bullets.

The raid was based on a search warrant issued by a local court.

The Civil Security Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP) had earlier said barangay officials own about 50 percent of loose firearms in the country.

The PNP has intensified its operations against loose firearms in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 30.

A barnagay councilor has been arrested for illegal posession of weapons. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1801151/fwd-ex-village-chairman-in-pasay-tagged-as-alleged-mastermind-in-photojournalists-attack

An former barangay (village) chairman in Pasay City is the alleged mastermind in the shooting of photojournalist Rene Joshua Abiad and six of his relatives last June 29, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Brig. Gen. Nicholas Torre III said on Thursday.

Torre also alleged the chairman, “Nanad,” had drug complaints with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

(The ex-barangay chairman has a record in the NBI and was arrested for drug charges.)

However, the supposed mastermind remains at large. Torre said: “We are looking for him.”

(We are trying to trace through social media, but the account was deactivated.)

As for the mastermind’s motive, Torre said Abiad’s job could be “the most logical explanation right now.”

(The mastermind is mad at him because of his job, a personal vendetta because of his work.)

A former  barangay chairman has been tagged as the mastermind behind the attempted assassination of a photojournalist. 

https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/13/mpd-hunts-down-5-cops-tagged-in-extorting-money-from-computer-shop

Operatives of the Manila Police District (MPD) are hunting down six suspects, including five members of the Manila Police District (MPD) who allegedly extorted money from the owner of a computer shop in Sampaloc, Manila on Tuesday night, July 12.

The MPD identified the policemen suspects as Staff Sgt. Ryann Tagle Paculan; Staff Sgt. Jan Erwin Santiago Isaac; Cpl. Jonmark Gonzales Dabucol; Pat. Jeremiah Sesma Pascual; Pat. Jhon Lester Reyes Pagar; and the civilian as Menay Martinez.

The five policemen are assigned to the MPD-District Police Intelligence Operations Unit/District Intelligence Division (DPIOU/DID).

Based on the initial investigation, the six suspects went to the computer shop located on Matimyas Street corner Susan Street, Barangay 525 in Sampaloc at around 11:20 p.m.

The 73-year-old owner of the computer shop said that the suspects introduced themselves as police officers and that they were conducting an operation against illegal online gambling.

The suspects then demanded P40,000 from the owner in exchange for not getting arrested for illegal gambling.

They also took the P3,500 from the victim's table along with the 500-gigabyte computer hard disk drive where the files of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage inside the shop were stored.

The victim said that the suspects also demanded P4,000 every week as "protection money" to which the suspect complied.

The victim said he gave the suspects P4,000 every Friday.

MPD Chief Brigadier Gen. Andre Dizon relieved all the personnel of DPIOU from their posts, including their district chief, for the extortion committed by the five policemen.

Five cops accused of extortion are being hunted down.