It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2255295/ombudsman-files-plunder-case-vs-marcoleta-in-sandiganbayan |
The Office of the Ombudsman filed before the Sandiganbayan the plunder case against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and his co-accused over a P75 million campaign donation to him.
In January 2025, former Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, and certain Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu allegedly donated P30 million, P25 million and P20 million for Marcoleta’s senatorial bid.
According to his counter-affidavit, Marcoleta noted that the P75 million donation was not public funds, even though the donated funds exceeded the P50 million threshold for plunder under Republic Act (RA) 7080.
State prosecutors also noted that the amount was not reflected in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) as of June 30, 2025.
Instead, the complaint noted that Marcoleta only declared P39.6 million in his SALN, which he said he acquired from 1992 to June 30, 2025.
The complaint said that Marcoleta, in his December 2025 SALN, declared only cash and savings amounting to P16.7 million.
In his counter-affidavit, Marcoleta said: “The donations were likewise not reflected in my Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) because, by the time the SALNs were prepared and executed, the amounts had already been used for their intended election-related purposes and were no longer assets held by me.”
The Office of the Ombudsman filed before the Sandiganbayan the plunder case against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and his co-accused over a P75 million campaign donation to him.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/03/cop-casino-dealer-malaysian-arrested-in-pasay-casino-fraud |
A casino dealer, a police officer, and a Malaysian businessman were arrested for allegedly conspiring to defraud a resort-casino of P750,000 through a poker scam in Pasay City on July 3.
Pasay City Police chief Col. Joselito De Sesto identified the suspects as Larry, 39, a casino dealer at a resort-casino in Pasay City; Chee Hoe Wong, 41, a Malaysian businessman; and Edgardo, 36, a police master sergeant assigned to the Warrant Section of the Sta. Ana Police Station in Manila.
According to De Sesto, the alleged fraud occurred at around 3:53 p.m. on July 2 during an Ultimate Texas Hold’Em game inside the casino.
The scheme was discovered by management several hours later and reported to police at around 3 a.m. on July 3.
Initial investigation showed that the dealer allegedly connived with three patrons to manipulate the outcome of the game.
CCTV footage showed the dealer repeatedly exposing his hidden hole cards and community cards during the game, giving the players an unfair advantage.
With inside information, the bettors allegedly predicted outcomes, adjusted their bets, and won about P750,000 illegally from the casino.
The irregularity was first detected by the casino’s surveillance department through CCTV monitoring. The establishment’s Safety and Security Unit immediately coordinated with surveillance personnel before confronting the suspects and placing them under citizen’s arrest.
One alleged accomplice, however, managed to flee before security personnel could apprehend him.
The arrested suspects were turned over to the Pasay City Police Investigation and Detective Management Section (IDMS). They face charges for violation of Article 315, Paragraph 3(b) of the Revised Penal Code, or estafa through fraudulent practices.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify and locate the remaining suspect and determine whether similar schemes had been carried out in previous gaming sessions.
A casino dealer, a police officer, and a Malaysian businessman were arrested for allegedly conspiring to defraud a resort-casino of P750,000 through a poker scam in Pasay City.
A police officer voluntarily surrendered on Thursday, admitting his involvement in the killing of a colleague in Zamboanga del Sur province.
In a report on Friday, Police Col. Bonifacio Arañas, Zamboanga del Sur Police director, identified the police officer-surrenderer as Staff Sgt. Archie Bazan, who was assigned to Margosatubig town in the same province.
Arañas said Bazan voluntarily surrendered to the Margosatubig Municipal Police Station and admitted his participation in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Police Corporal Armaejo Unab Jornadal on Wednesday afternoon.
Jornadal, 36, was riding a motorcycle on the way home when he was repeatedly shot by one of two men riding tandem on another motorcycle that was tailing him in Barangay Tikwas, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur.
Jornadal, a resident of Barangay Kalubi, San Miguel, was a member of the police’s 2nd Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company.
“In his statement, Bazan admitted that he served as the driver of the motorcycle used during the commission of the crime,” Arañas said in his report.
He said Bazan’s voluntary statement was recorded in the police blotter and signed by the suspect.
The shooter, identified as Cydee Tolentino Labajo, allegedly used Bazan’s service firearm to kill the victim.
Bazan also turned in his issued service firearm and the motorcycle they used in the incident.
Police Capt. Derfjay Maquinta, Zamboanga del Sur Police information officer, said Bazan was forced to surrender after learning he was tagged as a person of interest and all evidence gathered in the investigation pointed to him.
The evidence includes video footage captured through closed-circuit television cameras.
“The gunman (Labajo) was arrested in a follow-up operation at about 6 p.m. Thursday at his residence in Margosatubig,” Maquinta said in a radio interview Friday.
During the incident, the suspects took Jornadal's sling bag and service firearm and fled towards the town of Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur.
Authorities learned that Jornadal had just processed a cash loan with the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loans Association Inc. before the incident, based on a receipt found in the victim’s motorcycle compartment.
Maquinta said that Bazan knew Jornadal had applied for a loan because they were together while the papers were being processed.
He noted that the victim’s firearm was recovered, but the P200,000 loaned to Jornadal was not found.
A police officer admitting his involvement in the killing of a colleague in Zamboanga del Sur province voluntarily surrendered.
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| https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/3/ex-special-forces-soldier-accused-of-being-gun-for-hire-arrested-1518 |
A suspected gun-for-hire leader and former member of the Philippine Army Special Forces—listed as the No. 3 Most Wanted Person in Mimaropa—was arrested in an intelligence-driven operation in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro on Thursday.
“Tawi” was an alleged gun-for-hire leader operating in Mindoro and Batangas.
Police said the suspect was the subject of four warrants of arrest for multiple counts of murder and frustrated murder issued by courts in Calapan City, Pinamalayan, and Roxas, Oriental Mindoro.
All of the cases carry no bail recommended.
Aside from the pending murder and frustrated murder cases, the suspect is expected to face an additional charge for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
A suspected gun-for-hire leader and former member of the Philippine Army Special Forces—listed as the No. 3 Most Wanted Person in Mimaropa—was arrested in an intelligence-driven operation in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro on Thursday.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2257782/ex-cop-wanted-for-murder-surrenders-in-iloilo-city |
A former police officer wanted for murder surrendered to the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) early Sunday, July 5, ending more than three years in hiding.
The suspect, identified only by the alias “Jerry,” 40, of Arevalo District, Iloilo City, turned himself in at Camp Martin Teofilo Delgado in Fort San Pedro at around 12:45 a.m.
Jerry surrendered to Police Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, acting director of PRO-6. He is the subject of a warrant of arrest for murder issued on April 26, 2022, by the Regional Trial Court Branch 31 in Iloilo City. The court did not recommend bail.
Authorities said the former police officer had previously evaded an attempt by the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group to serve the warrant at Iloilo City Police Station 4.
Upon surrendering, he also turned over his issued Taurus TS9 service pistol with a loaded magazine.
He is now under the custody of the Iloilo City Police Station 1 for documentation and proper disposition.
Tuaño credited the peaceful surrender to sustained intelligence operations, close coordination among police units, and strengthened community trust.“According to him, he decided to surrender because he wanted to finally face the case against him and put an end to the problem he has been dealing with. What is important is that we were able to peacefully implement the warrant of arrest and bring him before the court in accordance with the law,” Tuaño said in Filipino.
The regional director said the incident demonstrated that effective law enforcement is achieved through intelligence-driven operations and coordination rather than force.
He also urged other fugitives to voluntarily surrender and face the charges against them.
“If you have an outstanding warrant of arrest, my advice is to face your case. No one is above the law, but everyone has the opportunity to undergo the legal process peacefully and with respect for due process,” Tuaño said.
A former police officer wanted for murder surrendered to the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) early Sunday, July 5, ending more than three years in hiding.
A 44-year-old former policeman wanted for multiple murder and kidnapping was arrested on Sunday night, July 5, in a beach resort in Barangay Bagong Silang here.
Police identified the suspect as Jun, a resident of Caloocan City.
Jun, the fourth most wanted person by the Police Regional Office-2, was apprehended on warrants dated Sept. 3, 2023, issued by the Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Regional Trial Court Branch 3 for murder, two counts of frustrated murder, and attempted murder.
The court recommended no bail for the murder case while bail was fixed at P200,000 each for the two frustrated murder cases and P 120,000 for the attempted murder case.
He was also arrested on a warrant from the Antipolo City, Rizal Regional Trial Court, Branch 142 for kidnapping with ransom.
Jun is in the custody of the Calatagan Municipal Police Station while warrants are being prepared for return to the issuing courts.
A former policeman wanted for multiple murder and kidnapping was arrested.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2257059/mike-defensor-arrested-for-plunder |
Former AnaKalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday for plunder.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that aside from the congressman, police have also arrested businessman Joseph Espiritu.
Defensor and Espiritu, both nabbed in Quezon City, are co-accused with Senator Rodante Marcoleta in a non-bailable plunder case involving the alleged non-disclosure of P75 million in campaign donations during the last elections.
In a briefing, Remulla said Defensor and Espiritu were arrested while they were having coffee at a Starbucks branch in Quezon City.
He added that the two are already being transported to the Sandiganbayan.
The plunder case against Defensor was filed by the Office of the Ombudsman at the Sandiganbayan and raffled to the latter’s Third Division on Friday morning.
The case stemmed from a P75-million donation Defensor made with donors Aristotle Viray and Espiritu to Marcoleta when the latter was a congressman before his 2025 senatorial bid.
Former AnaKalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor was arrested for plunder.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2259929/village-watchman-arrested-in-albay-buy-bust |
Police arrested a village watchman in a buy-bust operation in Bacacay town in Albay on Tuesday night.
The Albay police arrested a suspect identified only as “Nolan” at around 8:28 p.m. and seized 1.3 grams of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P8,840. The suspect is a 47-year-old resident of Tabaco City.
A village watchman was arrested in a buy-bust operation.
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