It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/06/cop-probed-for-pouring-rugby-on-2-street-kids |
The Tacloban City Police Office is investigating the viral video of a police officer who allegedly poured rugby and solvent on two street children here.
Police Major Shenna Layog, TCPO Station 2 chief, condemned and said they are taking immediate action to address the incident.
“The Tacloban City Police Office-Police Station 2 strongly condemns any form of misconduct by its personnel, particularly violations of human rights involving minors.”
She added that the police personnel involved has been restricted to the premises of the station pending the outcome of the investigation.
Layog conducted a Personnel Information and Continuing Education (PICE) session on Sunday, July 6.
“The session emphasized the importance of maximum tolerance among PNP personnel in the performance of their duties, particularly in handling cases involving Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL).”
A PNP officer is being investigated for pouring rugby on two street children.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2079062/ca-upholds-dismissal-of-bi-official-in-pastillas-scheme |
The Court of Appeals (CA) has denied the appeal of a former immigration officer, tagged as one of the group chat administrators of the notorious “pastillas” scheme, who had sought to overturn a 2022 grave misconduct charge.
In a 15-page decision dated June 30, the CA’s 17th Division found Gabriel Ernest Estacio guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service when he “played a significant part” in conspiring with other immigration officers to solicit and receive money from Chinese nationals so they could enter the country even without the required documentation.
“Considering that Estacio was found guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and grave misconduct being the most serious charge, the penalty of dismissal imposed by the Ombudsman was correct,” the appellate court said in the decision penned by Associate Justice Marietta Brawner-Cualing.
The CA effectively denied his appeal and upheld the 2022 consolidated decision of the Office of the Ombudsman that found him guilty of the two administrative charges.
The so-called pastillas scam was a scheme allegedly orchestrated by high-ranking officials of the Bureau of Immigration in 2017 in which Chinese nationals were allowed seamless entry into the country for a service fee of P10,000.
The bribe money given to immigration agents were hidden inside rolled up sheets of paper which resembled pastillas, a local soft candy wrapped up in wafer-thin paper, to avoid detection.
Estacio argued that his name was never mentioned in the chat groups and that there was no evidence that he received money or gave preferential treatment to any incoming passengers.But the CA ruled that his participation was established when whistleblower Allison Chong personally identified him as a member of the chat groups 3SOME, Timbre Central, and as one of the administrators of the Viber Group Chat Administrators.
“His status as one of the administrators of the Viber group speaks volumes as to the extent and importance of his participation in the pastillas scheme,” the CA said.
The court noted that he failed to explain why his name was put in that status and why he did not make an effort to remove his name as an administrator.
“It is of no moment that Estacio’s name was never mentioned in the messages in the Viber group chat. His membership and presence in the said Viber group is sufficient to establish that he was part of the group and has knowledge of the activities of such group,” the CA said.
The court added: “It is sufficient that he played a significant part which was connected and cooperative to the success of the whole enterprise. Consequently, even if there was no direct evidence that Estacio received money in connection with the pastillas scheme, he is still liable by reason of conspiracy,” the CA said.
“Indeed, by allowing certain Chinese nationals to enter the country without going through the usual immigration process, Estacio compromised the integrity of the country’s immigration laws, as well as its security,” the court said.
The CA found that Estacio’s acts also constituted conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, since these “tainted the public’s perception of the BI as a government institution and undermined the country’s immigration laws.”
The case stemmed from the separate complaints filed by the Field Investigation Office of the Office of the Ombudsman and the National Bureau of Investigation.
The Ombudsman in its 2022 decision said Estacio’s participation in the pastillas scheme was clearly established by the positive identification, categorical statements, and evidence presented by the whistleblower.
The ruling said the respondents in the case, including Estacio, used the BI’s bureaucratic structure to avoid possible detection.
The Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a former immigration officer, tagged as one of the group chat administrators of the notorious “pastillas” scheme, who had sought to overturn a 2022 grave misconduct charge.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2079187/torre-15-cops-tagged-in-sabungeros-case-under-restrictive-custody |
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has confirmed that it has placed 15 of its members, who are reportedly involved in the case of the missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados), under restrictive custody in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
“We have placed the several police personnel under restrictive custody pending the investigation into the missing sabungeros. That we can confirm. And we have partnered with the National Police Commission for the in-depth investigation of this case,” PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a press briefing on Monday when asked about the recent revelation of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“Many of them are in support units. Some of them are in regions. Some in APC (area police command). They are from different units,” he revealed, adding that among them was a lieutenant colonel.
Asked if they were in Camp Crame, Torre said, “Yes, they are.”
He disclosed that when he was still the head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), alias “Totoy,” the whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan started communicating with the police.
“Well, Totoy has been giving us statements for a long time. We actually took his statement months before, but of course, we had to put it under wraps to ensure that our moves wouldn’t be preempted. We got voluminous evidence because we got that information a little under the radar,” the PNP top cop narrated.
Torre also confirmed that Patidongan was under PNP’s protection but declined to disclose the details of how Patidongan approached the CIDG.Last week, Remulla revealed that the 15 members of the PNP are under investigation after being linked to the case and were placed on “restricted duty and are required to report to designated offices so they can no longer participate in operations.”
Last month, Patidongan—one of the six security guards accused of abducting the cockfighting enthusiasts—claimed that the 34 missing sabungeros were reportedly buried in Taal Lake, Batangas. He further alleged that they used a tie wire to strangle the victims before dumping their bodies into the lake.
According to reports, the cockfighting aficionados disappeared in 2021.
15 cops have been placed under restrictive custody as they are investigated for the disappearance of 34 men.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/283802/ca-affirms-dismissal-of-ex-immigration-exec-in-pastillas-scheme |
The Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of Arlan Mendoza, another former immigration officer who rose through the ranks and allegedly exercised operational control in the “pastillas” scheme, which facilitated the seamless entry of Chinese nationals without undergoing proper protocols.
Contrary to Mendoza’s argument that the accusations against him were vague and lacked specificity, the appellate court ruled that his designation as a “boss” within the pastillas scheme was a “functional descriptor of his central role in the orchestration, supervision, and sustained operation of an unlawful enterprise that subverted the lawful processes of immigration enforcement.”
In a 17-page decision dated June 30 and penned by Associate Justice Marietta Brawner-Cualing, the CA’s 17th Division denied Mendoza’s petition for review challenging the Ombudsman’s 2022 decision. He had earlier been found administratively liable for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, with the Ombudsman imposing upon him the supreme penalty of dismissal from the service.
In a separate ruling, the CA also denied the appeal of Gabriel Estacio, a former immigration officer tagged as one of the group chat administrators of the notorious syndicate, who had sought to overturn the same administrative charges against him.
The scheme, described by the CA as a “multilayered, institutionalized bribery and human trafficking enterprise,” allegedly operated within the Bureau of Immigration from 2016 until it was exposed in 2020.
The illicit arrangement allowed the entry of foreign nationals, primarily Chinese citizens, without undergoing proper immigration protocols and security vetting.
In exchange, the bribe money given to immigration agents involved was hidden inside rolled-up sheets of paper, which resembled pastillas, a local soft candy wrapped up in wafer-thin paper, to avoid detection.Whistleblowers Allison Chiong and Jeffrey Ignacio identified Mendoza as one of those exercising operational command and control over the group.
At the time material to the administrative charges, the CA said that Mendoza held the rank of immigration officer III while concurrently serving as the deputy head of the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) assigned to Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The court noted that his record indicated a progression through the ranks within the bureau, having served as immigration officer I from 2009 to 2017 and as immigration officer II from 2017 to 2020.
Chiong and Ignacio named Mendoza alongside then Ports Operations Division Chief Marc Red Mariñas, TCEU Chief Erwin Ortañez, and other terminal heads and deputies as part of the central command group or “bosses,” who orchestrated the flow of operations and benefited the most from the proceeds of the scheme.
Mendoza elevated the case to the CA after the Ombudsman in 2022 found him guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
In his petition, he argued that the statements made against him were “vague, sweeping, and general in character, devoid of material particulars as to time, manner, or circumstance.”
The CA, however, was not convinced, as it ruled that Mendoza “betrayed [the] solemn trust” given to him as the deputy head of the TCEU.
“His role placed him at the helm of frontline border enforcement and within an office that demanded unimpeachable integrity, exacting vigilance, and the highest degree of public trust. Regrettably, the record indelibly shows that Mendoza betrayed this solemn trust,” the court said.
The CA emphasized that the whistleblowers’ testimonies did not lack specific acts directly attributable to Mendoza.
In fact, the CA pointed out, Chiong and Ignacio identified him specifically as one of the “bosses” who, in their words, “inagaw at pumalit” (seized control and took over the operation), “nag-kontrol ng mga collection” (managed the collection of illicit payments), “nagbibigay ng mga commission” (distributed illegal commissions), and “nagbabasbas, nagko-control, at kumukubra ng maraming pera” (conferred his official sanction upon, exercised command over, and personally reaped substantial financial gains from the unlawful activities).
The Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of Arlan Mendoza, another former immigration officer who rose through the ranks and allegedly exercised operational control in the “pastillas” scheme, which facilitated the seamless entry of Chinese nationals without undergoing proper protocols.
A police corporal died after he accidentally pulled the trigger of his firearm, hitting himself in the stomach in Sitio Ukban, Barangay Buhisan, Cebu City, at around 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
The 33-year-old police officer was assigned to the Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Unit (PIDMU) of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO).
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, Deputy City Director for Operations and spokesperson of the Cebu City Police Office, their investigator recovered CCTV footage from the officer’s house that captured the incident.
In the CCTV footage, the victim was seen arriving home, removing his clothes and pistol belt.
He then grabbed his 9mm service firearm, but accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting himself in the stomach.
The victim was rushed to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center but died a few hours later.
Based on the CCTV footage, the victim was alone in the house at the time, as his child was still in school and his wife had gone out.
Macatangay said their investigators have found no signs of foul play.
“Wala’y foul play, nakakuha atong investigator og CCTV and then nakita siya nag inusara ra siya didto sa ilahang balcony sulod sa compound sa ilahang family,” Macatangay said.
(There’s no foul play. Our investigator was able to retrieve CCTV footage, and it showed that he was alone in their balcony, inside their family’s compound.)
Another PNP officer has accidentally killed himself with his own firearm.
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