Retards in the Government 473

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

 

 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/06/04/dpwh-officials-discayas-face-graft-malversation-raps-over-bulacan-flood-control-project

The Office of the Ombudsman has filed criminal charges against eight officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and three executives of St. Timothy Construction Corporation over alleged anomalies in a ₱53.9-million flood control project in Calumpit, Bulacan.

In a statement read by Assistant Ombudsman and spokesperson Mico Clavano on Thursday, June 4, the Ombudsman said the respondents were charged with one count of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and one count of Malversation of Public Funds or Property Through Falsification of Public Documents under the Revised Penal Code.

The charges were filed in connection with from DPWH Contract ID No. 22CC0058 involving the rehabilitation of a river construction structure along Bulusan in Calumpit, Bulacan.

“The findings of the Office of the Ombudsman reveal an utter and flagrant disregard for government auditing and accounting regulations,” Clavano said.

“Specifically, investigators discovered that payments for the project’s first billing were released despite an unapproved disbursement voucher,” he said.

Clavano added that full payments for dredging and embankment works were made “without any basis for computation or the necessary supporting documents required to prove project accomplishment.”

“These collective actions resulted in an unwarranted benefit to St. Timothy Construction Corporation totaling approximately ₱53,917,731.92, causing significant financial injury to the government," he said.

The Ombudsman also said the investigation established that the respondents allegedly allowed the contractor to take possession of and misappropriate government funds.

“The investigation further established that the accused officials allowed the contractor to take possession of and misappropriate these funds, which constitutes the illegal act of Malversation of Public Funds,” he Clavano.

Named respondents from the DPWH were Merg Jaron Caparas Laus, Brice Ericson Diaz Hernandez, Jaypee De Leon Mendoza, Ernesto Cosay Galang, Norberto De Leon Santos, Lorenzo Alcoriza Pagtalunan, Juanito Coronel Mendoza, and Floralyn Yutuc Simbulan.

Also charged were St. Timothy Construction Corporation managing officer Ma. Roma Angeline Discaya Rimando and spouses Cezarah Rowena C. Discaya and Pacifico F. Discaya II, whom the Ombudsman identified as the company's beneficial owners.

The criminal informations were filed before the Regional Trial Court in Malolos City, Bulacan on June 4.

The Ombudsman said former District Engineer Henry Alcantara and Project Engineer Paul Jayson F. Duya were excluded from the criminal informations after entering into immunity agreements with the agency.

Following the filing of the cases, recommended bail for the graft charge was set at ₱90,000 for each accused.

No bail was recommended for the charge of Malversation of Public Funds Through Falsification of Public Documents.

“The prosecution will now proceed to the trial phase, where evidence will be presented to hold the individuals accountable for the misappropriation of public resources intended for vital community infrastructure,” Clavano said.

The Office of the Ombudsman has filed criminal charges against eight officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and three executives of St. Timothy Construction Corporation over alleged anomalies in a ₱53.9-million flood control project in Calumpit, Bulacan.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/326717/ex-cop-tagged-in-korean-traders-slay-in-2016-arrested

Dismissed police Lt. Col. Rafael Dumlao, the alleged mastermind in the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, has been arrested on Tuesday morning, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced.

Dumlao was caught by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group National Capital Region (CIDG NCR) in a house in Pasong Tamo, Quezon City at around 5 a.m. on June 9, Remulla detailed in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

“He was sleeping in a house… The tactical team entered, broke down the door, arrested him. He is now in CIDG NCR… It looks like he’s been there for a while. We do not know who owns the house. But, we have an informant that saw him there. The walls were high. It had a lot of trees,” the secretary explained.

“We surveilled him for around three weeks. It was the wedding of his daughter last Sunday. We tracked his movement if it really was him. It seems he watched the wedding on Facebook Live. He did not attend personally. But, there was movement in the house. We confirmed it was him,” he added.

The dismissed police officer is accused of kidnapping with homicide; kidnapping and serious illegal detention; and carnapping, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government offering a monetary reward of P1.09 million for information leading to his arrest.

Remulla did not identify the informant but noted that the agency was now verifying them for the monetary reward.

Jee was reportedly abducted by police officers in Angeles City, Pampanga in Oct. 18, 2016 under the guise of an anti-drug operation and strangled inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame.

His remains were cremated and his ashes flushed down a toilet.

“This was the result of the abuses of Oplan Tokhang… Tokhang gave too much to the PNP operatives to do things at their whim without the process of law,” Remulla said.

Oplan Tokhang, a flagship operation of then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, aimed to convince suspects to surrender and stop participating in the illegal drug trade.

“Tokhang” comes from the Cebuano word “toktok” (to knock) and “hangyo” (to plead).

Although official statistics estimate that 6,000 people were killed during Duterte’s drug war, human rights groups estimate that the death toll could be up to 30,000.

“In this case, we did everything according to law. We did not violate any procedure. We read him his rights. We did not hurt him. We’ve brought him in for proper investigation and he will face justice,” Remulla added.

Dumlao was initially acquitted by an Angeles City court in June 2023, but the Court of Appeals overturned the acquittal in July 2024 for “grave abuse of discretion,” finding the former police officer guilty of kidnapping and killing Jee.

Asked why Dumlao had been hiding in Quezon City, Remulla answered, “Mas madali magtago sa Metro Manila kaysa sa probinsya. Sa probinsya kasi, basta hindi kilala sasabihin kaagad sa kapitan doon. Sa Metro Manila, walang pansinan dito eh.”

(It’s easier to hide in Metro Manila rather than the provinces. In the provinces, when you’re not known there, they’d report you to the barangay captain. No one notices you in Metro Manila.)

Also asked on Dumlao’s long hair, the secretary explained, “Kapag nagtatago ka, mahirap magpagupit, ‘di ba? So, ayan ang naging itsura niya.”

(If you’re in hiding, it’d be harder to get a haircut, right? So, that’s why he looks like that now.)

Dumlao will be brought to the Court of Appeals for the return of the warrant, Remulla noted.

He added that Dumlao was caught with a 9mm pistol, which was registered to another individual whom the secretary did not immediately name.

Further, investigators seized Dumlao’s cell phone and laptop for forensic examination to trace whether he had been assisted in hiding by other individuals.

South Korean Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Jee’s widow Choi Kyung Jin have been informed of Dumlao’s arrest, according to Remulla.

“The DILG and the [Philippine National Police or PNP] are now on the road to serious reform,” the secretary maintained.

“Even though Lt. Col. Dumlao was one of their own, he was not put above the law. The institution is not perfect, but the road towards a more trustworthy PNP has now begun,” it added. 

Dumlao’s co-accused, Chief Master Sgt. Ricky Sta. Isabel and National Bureau of Investigation errand boy Jerry Omlang, were meted with the penalty of reclusion perpetua without parole.

Meanwhile, another co-accused, Executive Master Sgt. Roy Villegas, became a state witness in the case.

Dismissed police Lt. Col. Rafael Dumlao, the alleged mastermind in the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, has been arrested on Tuesday morning, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2243719/negros-island-cop-in-hot-water-for-allegedly-extorting-applicant

A police officer in the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) is under investigation for allegedly extorting an applicant in exchange for assistance to enter the police service.

In a statement on Tuesday, PRO NIR said the complaint against the implicated personnel, whom it did not immediately name, was filed before the Bacolod City Police Office but did not say when.

“[The] police personnel [allegedly] demanded and received money from a PNP (Philippine National Police) applicant in exchange for purported assistance in securing entry into the police service,” the regional police explained.

“The complainant likewise alleged that additional payments were subsequently requested. The matter is now the subject of appropriate criminal and administrative proceedings,” it added.

In the statement, PRO NIR director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño assured that the case against the implicated officer will be “thorough and impartial.”

PRO NIR also appealed to other individuals who may have experienced the same alleged extortion to come forward and report the incidents.

“No applicant is required to pay any amount of money to secure appointment into the Philippine National Police. Recruitment and selection are based solely on qualifications, competencies, and compliance with established requirements,” the regional police stressed.

For its part, in its own statement earlier on Tuesday, the PNP took note of the case.

“The PNP reiterates its zero-tolerance policy against any form of misconduct, including allegations of extortion, abuse of authority, or any act that undermines the integrity of the police service,” the national police force maintained.

“It assures the public that all such complaints are acted upon without delay and properly investigated in accordance with due process,” it added.

Neither the PNP nor PRO NIR disclosed the current status of the implicated officer.

A police officer in the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region is under investigation for allegedly extorting an applicant in exchange for assistance to enter the police service.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2244072/nueva-vizcaya-town-vice-mayor-suspended-5-months-over-property-deal

For using a privately owned lot as a motor pool and spending P39,850 for improvement, the vice mayor of Bagabag in Nueva Vizcaya was meted out a five-month suspension by the provincial board.

In an 11-page decision handed down on Monday, provincial board members led by Vice Gov. Eufemia Dacayo found Bagabag Vice Mayor Nestor Sevillena administratively liable for grave abuse of authority due to his action.

Sevillena used the lot after signing an agreement with the owner during his stint as acting Bagabag mayor, according to a complaint of 10 town government workers. 

Nine board members voted in favor of Sevillena’s five-month preventive suspension, while five others voted against it.

The vice mayor, though, has yet to comment on the matter, and there is no confirmation yet whether he will seek a motion for reconsideration, as he has been on sick leave from May 18 to June 23 due to health problems. 

First-ranked councilor Francisco Bayatan Sr. has been serving as acting vice mayor due to Sevillena’s absence.

After the contract was signed, Sevillana disbursed P39,850 from government funds for lot improvement and construction materials for the area.

The complainants cited Section 22 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160) which requires the vice mayor to seek prior authorization from the town council before entering into a contract as a local government representative. 

The complainants were assigned to the motor pool where government vehicles were brought, and equipment was stocked. 

The vice mayor claimed in his reply to the complaint that the lot was allowed to be used free for “public purpose without compensation” and without an initial formal contract.

He claimed that no government funds were spent on construction of a perimeter fence and that the property was refurbished to promote public welfare and the town’s services. 

The complaint lacked factual and legal basis to support a charge of grave abuse of authority under Section 60(e) of the Local Government Code, and the imposed preventive suspension was “unwarranted and unsupported” by law and evidence. He also claimed that he has been in the public service for 24 years without any cases.

The provincial board did not give credence to Sevillena’s claims, adding that he “exceeded” his authority for failure to comply with the law and legal requisites for any local government’s contract with private entities.   

The board opined that Sevillena should have been well-versed in government rules and the conduct of public officials, considering his long record of service. 

The board has cited its oversight power over elected town officials to hear and decide administrative complaints and impose penalties for breaches.

For using a privately owned lot as a motor pool and spending P39,850 for improvement, the vice mayor of Bagabag in Nueva Vizcaya was meted out a five-month suspension by the provincial board.