It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2139859/escudero-sorsogon-execs-hit-with-graft-raps-over-p352-m-anomalies |
Graft and other criminal complaints have been filed against Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and several provincial officials before the Office of the Ombudsman after a private lawyer accused them of orchestrating “systematic corruption” and financial irregularities amounting to more than P352 million during Escudero’s tenure as Sorsogon governor.
Atty. Eldrige Marvin Aceron filed the complaint on Friday, citing alleged irregularities flagged in the Commission on Audit’s (COA) 2021 report on the Sorsogon provincial government.
Aside from Escudero, the following provincial officials were also named as respondents for possible violations of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as Articles 220 (Technical Malversation), 213 (Frauds Against Public Treasury), and 171 (Falsification of Public Documents) of the Revised Penal Code:
- Members of the Bids and Awards Committee
- Acting Provincial Accountant Rena Garcia
- Provincial General Services Officer Rosalina (surname not indicated)
- The provincial treasurer (name still to be determined)
The complaint was filed a month after Aceron also lodged an ethics case against Escudero at the Senate over alleged illegal campaign donations.
Aceron said the case involves purported irregularities and potential malversation totaling P352,679,063.46 in public funds during Escudero’s administration in Sorsogon.
Citing the 2021 COA report, he said auditors flagged eight questionable transactions, including:
- P125,704,889.93 in “physically impossible” overlapping infrastructure contracts awarded to the same contractors using the same personnel and equipment
- P15,474,262.65 in national government funds, including P10 million in typhoon relief money, that were allegedly unimplemented for up to six years
- P8,440,701.12 in janitorial and laundry contracts supported by purported falsified documents, conflicting notarizations, and fabricated client references
- P1,655,400.00 in TUPAD disbursements with defective signatures, missing authorizations, and alleged improper implementation by board members
- P5,654,955.90 in development projects allegedly charged to the 20-percent Development Fund but not included in the approved procurement plan
- P195,748,853.86 in purported unreliable Property, Plant, and Equipment accounts, including ghost assets and demolished structures that remained recorded in government books
“These are not mere accounting errors. These are deliberate acts that robbed the children of Sorsogon of their future. While families struggled through the pandemic, public funds were diverted, mishandled, or left to rot in government accounts,” Aceron said in a statement distributed during the filing.
“Moreover, 2021 is not an isolated year of malfeasance. The COA reports for 2022 and 2023 reveal the same pattern—qualified opinions on the province’s financial statements that persist to this very day,” he added.Reporters tried to get Escudero’s reaction on the matter, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.
Graft and other criminal complaints have been filed against Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and several provincial officials before the Office of the Ombudsman after a private lawyer accused them of orchestrating “systematic corruption” and financial irregularities amounting to more than P352 million during Escudero’s tenure as Sorsogon governor.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1263321 |
The National Food Authority (NFA) announced it is preparing to file a plunder case against a middle-level employee accused of misappropriating around PHP53 million worth of rice and palay stocks, as the agency enforces a wider crackdown on corruption.
In a press briefing on Friday in Quezon City, NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the agency has intensified internal audits in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. to eliminate misconduct.
Lacson said that since last year, the agency has already filed 35 administrative cases, issued 28 preventive suspensions, and served 99 show-cause orders.
“We will not stop fighting corruption and that is because of the mistakes of our, only a few who have lost their way,” he said.
“But the most important thing here, we will file very soon. Very soon. The process of case build-up is almost over, we will file a plunder case against one of our employees,” he added.
Lacson, who declined to give more details on the accused middle-level position employee, said the plunder case stems from discrepancies accumulated over multiple years.
He said that based on NFA findings, the shortages accumulated between 2020 and 2021 and were detected after a series of strengthened audits that began when he assumed office last year.
“This is a multi-year action that people have taken, that resulted in, let's just say, our term, reduced or lost stocks. So, it accumulated over the years, and we intensified the audit, and now that we have all the documents, and that's it, we will file them very soon,” he said.
Lacson said the employee was given the chance to explain the shortages, but was not able to give a proper answer.
He said the accused employee remains active, but was already reassigned and no longer holds any post with access or authority over stocks.
“Since we assumed last year, we intensified gathering of pieces of evidence. You know, it takes a while to build a good case. Because when you say there are not enough stocks, one will be given an opportunity to explain why. Then he will ask for the computation of tolerable allowance, etc.," Lacson said.
“We will not condone mistakes or foolishness. NFA is not their playground, and we are serious about fixing it, and in support of the call of the President and Secretary Kiko for good governance,” he added.
The National Food Authority (NFA) announced it is preparing to file a plunder case against a middle-level employee accused of misappropriating around PHP53 million worth of rice and palay stocks, as the agency enforces a wider crackdown on corruption.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/11/17/32-bacolod-gso-workers-probed-for-fake-gsis-loan-documents |
The City Legal Office (CLO) is investigating an alleged mass falsification scheme involving 32 employees of the General Services Office (GSO) at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).
The suspects—composed of utility workers, clerks, and drivers—allegedly tampered their documents to qualify for Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) computer loans.
City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu on Monday’s said the incident was reported to him by the GSO department head, prompting the issuance of notices to explain to all involved employees, including the assistant GSO head.
The tampering allegedly took place shortly after this city declared a state of calamity due to typhoon “Tino” on Nov. 5, which allowed employees easier access to certain loans.
According to Chiu, they allegedly altered pay slips, loan forms, and certifications of net pay to artificially increase their net pay to the required minimum of P7,000.
Some reportedly secured loans amounting to P50,000 to P60,000, he added.
The irregularities were discovered on Nov. 12 when the Management Information Technology and Computer Services (MITCS) staff noticed discrepancies in the pay slips while processing the GSO payroll.
Chiu confirmed that the assistant department head—whose name was withheld—signed the questionable documents.
In her incident report, GSO head Gilda Lluisma said she immediately requested the loan applications and pay slips from the Human Resource (HR) and verified with MITCS that the documents were indeed falsified.
Scanning the QR codes showed the employees’ actual net pay was only a little over P5,000, far below the P7,000 reflected in the altered pay slips.
Lluisma called an emergency meeting with GSO personnel involved to inform them about the offense and the possible penalties under the law or consequences they may face for falsifying these. They were directed to submit written explanations.
She noted that their applications bypassed her office and were instead signed by the assistant GSO head.
Seven employees reportedly paid P200 to have their pay slips altered outside their office, while others did it themselves or in groups, and some admitted to tampering with these.
Lluisma forwarded her findings to the CLO for appropriate action to prevent similar incidents in the future.
If guilty, the employees face administrative charges for dishonesty and misconduct, with a maximum penalty of dismissal, according to Chiu.
The CLO is currently awaiting the employees’ and the assistant GSO head’s written explanations, which must be submitted within five days before further evaluation proceeds.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2142497/army-sergeant-nabbed-for-transporting-smuggled-cigarettes-in-maguindanao |
Police in Maguindanao del Norte arrested an Army sergeant for transporting suspected smuggled cigarettes during checkpoint operations in Parang town on Sunday, police said on Monday.
Lt. Colonel Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), identified the soldier as Technical Sgt. Vergelio Marapao Jr, 46, a resident of Zamboanga City and a member of the First Army Scout Ranger Battalion in Carmen, Cotabato province.
Ventura said Marapao was driving a Toyota Vios and was flagged down about 7 p.m. on Sunday at a checkpoint manned by personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Barangay Macasandag, Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.
He said the mobile force police found 10 small boxes containing 248 reams of smuggled San Marino cigarettes with an estimated value of P194,680.
Marapao is facing charges for violation of the Anti-Smuggling Act Law, even as his vehicle and the smuggled cigarettes were turned over to the Bureau of Customs.
In Midsayap, Cotabato, a trader was arrested on Monday for transporting smuggled cigarettes at a police checkpoint in Barangay Central Glad.
Police said P36,000 worth of contraband was seized from the suspect, identified as “alias Al.” The investigation is still in progress.
In Makilala, Cotabato, agents of the Highway Patrol Group, while conducting a law enforcement operation, chanced upon a pick-up vehicle loaded with smuggled cigarettes in Barangay San Vicente, also on Monday.The suspect, Jerric Albarico of Barangay Kawayanon, Makilala, was transporting in his Nissan Navara some P427,000 worth of smuggled cigarettes.
HPG personnel first discovered that Albarico had an expired car registration and, upon inspection, found piles of smuggled cigarettes.
Police in Maguindanao del Norte arrested an Army sergeant for transporting suspected smuggled cigarettes during checkpoint operations in Parang town on Sunday, police said on Monday.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2142388/ombudsman-files-cases-before-sandiganbayan |
The Office of the Ombudsman has filed the first batch of cases against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co and several former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over alleged anomalous flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro before the Sandiganbayan.
Officials from the Ombudsman, led by Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, lodged the cases at 1:43 p.m. at the anti-graft court.
In a press conference shortly after the filing, Clavano said the cases stemmed from the first referral report submitted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), involving a project implemented by the DPWH Region IV-B (Mimaropa) through contractor Sunwest, Inc.The project covers the construction of a road dike along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the Oriental Mindoro project, along with others in Bulacan, will be the basis of the first cases they will file before the Sandiganbayan
These referrals and complaints stemmed from congressional inquiries that found several flood control projects to be non-existent, allegedly due to collusion among lawmakers, private contractors, and Department of Public Works and Highways officials to embezzle billions of pesos in public funds.
The controversy gained national attention after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his State of the Nation Address in July, reported that 5,500 flood control projects had been completed under his administration — figures that critics questioned amid persistent flooding.
The Office of the Ombudsman has filed the first batch of cases against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co and several former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over alleged anomalous flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro before the Sandiganbayan.
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