It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
A dismissed police officer and two other suspects were caught red-handed in a predawn drug raid that yielded P340,000 worth of suspected shabu in Barangay Lumbia here on Tuesday, July 28.
Maj. Joann Navarro, Police Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) spokesperson, told the Inquirer on Wednesday that the officer had been dismissed in November last year after testing positive for drug use.
“He immediately went AWOL. However, his case regarding the positive drug test continued, and his dismissal order from the service was issued earlier this year,” she said.
Joint operatives from Police Station 8’s Anti-Illegal Drug Team (SAIDT), the City Mobile Force Company, and PDEA Regional Office 10 raided an abandoned house at around 4:32 a.m., arresting the buy-bust operation’s primary target, a 32-year-old identified as alias “Tams.”
Arrested alongside him were alias “James,” the 35-year-old dismissed police officer, and alias “Apon,” 35.
Authorities noted that “Tams” and “James” are first-time alleged criminal offenders, while “Apon” is a second-time offender currently under probation.
Seized during the raid were eight sachets containing approximately 50 grams of suspected shabu, a .38 caliber revolver loaded with three live rounds, assorted drug paraphernalia, two motorcycles, a cellular phone, and the P1,000 buy-bust money.
The arrest reinforces PRO-10 director Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano’s declaration earlier this month that they are serious about internal cleansing and that police personnel caught involved in illegal drugs will face absolute dismissal from the service.
“No one is above the law. This operation underscores that the law applies equally to everyone,” Abrahano told the Inquirer.
The suspects are currently detained at Police Station 8 and face charges for allegedly violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Alias “James,” the ex-police officer, will face an additional charge for alleged violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
PRO-10 vowed to maintain its relentless, intelligence-driven campaign against illegal drugs and criminality to uphold public safety across Northern Mindanao.
A dismissed cop has been busted for drugs.
The mayor and vice mayor of San Pablo City in Laguna were both suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman this month due to complaints they filed against each other.
The Ombudsman on Friday said it ordered the preventive suspension of Vice Mayor Justin Colago for up to six months without pay pending the resolution of an administrative case against him filed by City Mayor Arcadio Gapangada Jr.
In an order dated July 22 signed by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, the anti-graft body said it found sufficient grounds to place Colago under preventive suspension in connection with charges for grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
The ruling said that it found “sufficient grounds to preventively suspend respondent considering that there is strong evidence showing his guilt”.
It also said Colago’s continued stay in office “may prejudice the investigation and there is a need to preserve the documents and evidence pertaining to the case”.
Gapangada Jr. alleged that Colago certified and signed appointment papers, daily time records (DTRs), accomplishment reports, and payroll documents for a job order worker. This worker has executed an affidavit stating that she neither reported for work nor signed the DTRs and accomplishment reports for the periods reflected in the documents.
Earlier this month, the Office of the Ombudsman also suspended Gapangada following a complaint filed by Colago.
The complaint came after the local chief executive allegedly transferred and stripped city officials and employees of their functions to accommodate job order workers.
In April, Gapangada went to the Office of the Ombudsman to ask the body to investigate Colago for allegedly hiring 200 ghost employees.
Colago vehemently denied the allegation.
The mayor and vice mayor of San Pablo City in Laguna were both suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman this month due to complaints they filed against each other.
Authorities arrested a policeman and a businessman after intercepting a van loaded with nearly P1.9 million worth of smuggled cigarettes during a checkpoint operation in Barangay Gatas, Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte late Friday night, July 31.
Lt. Col. Edwin Verzon, force commander of the Zamboanga del Norte 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company (ZNPMFC), said personnel from the 2nd Platoon, ZNPMFC, together with other law enforcement units, flagged down a white Nissan van at 10:05 p.m.
Instead of stopping, the driver accelerated and attempted to evade inspection, prompting operatives to pursue and intercept the vehicle a short distance away.
The suspects were identified as a 34-year-old policeman assigned at Police Station 10 under the Zamboanga City Police Office and a resident of Barangay Talon-Talon, Zamboanga City; and a 36-year-old businessman from Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City.
Upon inspection, authorities discovered 1,630 reams of smuggled cigarettes concealed inside the van. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) estimated the contraband’s market value at P1,867,980 based on its standard price index.
Confiscated from the businessman who was also the driver, was a 9mm Taurus pistol (model G3 Black) with three magazines and 35 live rounds.
Verzon said they immedIately coordinated with BOC for the inventory of the seized cigarettes.
The suspects, along with the confiscated items, are now under the custody of the Kalawit Municipal Police Station for proper disposition.
The arrested individuals face charges for violations of Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act 10643 (Graphic Health Warnings Law).
A cop has been busted for smuggling cigarettes.
The alleged mastermind in the killing of a former village secretary and teacher surrendered to police after learning he had been named in the victim’s dying declaration.
Sta. Maria police chief Lt. Col. Mark Louie M. Sigua reported to Col. Jay B. Baybayan, acting Bulacan police director, that the suspect—a barangay captain—voluntarily surrendered at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1.
His decision came after learning that the victim, Stephen “Gelo” Pagmanua Enriquez, 38, had identified him as the mastermind before succumbing to gunshot wounds.
Enriquez was shot in front of his house by unidentified riding in tandem assailants in Barangay Poblacion, Santa Maria, early Thursday, July 30.
He later died while receiving medical treatment.
Investigators said the victim’s dying declaration became a crucial lead, prompting intensified evidence gathering and documentation, which ultimately led to the suspect’s voluntary surrender.
Authorities noted that the suspect has yet to issue a statement.
Police are now completing documentary requirements and consolidating evidence for the filing of a murder complaint before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Malolos, Bulacan.
Police Regional Office 3 Director Brig. Gen. Jess B. Mendez commended the swift action of investigators, stressing the importance of impartial and evidence based investigations.
He assured the public that due process will be followed and encouraged continued cooperation from the community in the pursuit of justice.
A barnagay captain accused of murder has been arrested.
An unidentified gunman shot and seriously injured a traffic enforcer on Tuesday morning here while he was performing his duties in Barangay Poblacion 1.
Midsayap Mayor Rolly Sacdalan immediately condemned the attack against the law enforcer and directed the police to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Juius Reberal Lajot, 43, of Barangay Kiwanan, Midsayap and a member of the local government’s traffic management unit, is now fighting for his life in the hospital after he was shot from behind by a lone gunman at 10 a.m.
CCTV footage showed that Lajot, while standing in front of a bakeshop, was shot at the back of his head by a man wearing dark sunglasses, a white facemask, a sleeveless shirt, and blue cargo shorts. The suspect fled on a motorbike.
“We condemn the violence against our traffic enforcer. The arm of the law is long! God is just! How infuriating,” Sacdalan said in Filipino.
The Midsayap Municipal Police Station, headed by Lt. Colonel William Facsoy Jr., strongly condemned the shooting of Lajot.
Police said a thorough investigation and pursuit operation are being conducted to identify, locate, and arrest the persons responsible.
Lajot was the third traffic enforcer of Midsayap to become a victim of a gun attack while performing their duties.
An unidentified gunman shot and seriously injured a traffic enforcer on Tuesday morning here while he was performing his duties in Barangay Poblacion 1.
Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza on Monday, Aug. 3, condemned the series of violence in the province, including the killing of a barangay chairman in her hometown of Carmen on Sunday.
The governor urged law enforcement agencies to investigate and hunt suspects in violent incidents that pose a big threat to peace and order in the province.
She said the provincial government won’t let these incidents pass.
Gunmen ambushed Barangay Cadiis Chairman Arnel Aliudin while on board onboard a vehicle in Barangay Kibudtungan, Carmen. Aliudin was declared dead in a hospital. Two companions were injured.
On July 28, a resident was killed and two others were wounded in an encounter between warring clans due to land conflict in Barangay Estado, Matalam.
The firefight displaced at least 100 residents, who sought refuge in the village center while others evacuated in Barangay San Roque in neighboring Kidapawan City.
This long-standing conflict remains unresolved despite series of dialogues and other interventions.
Mendoza expressed alarm over an alleged assault against a student in Kidapawan City.
She urged the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and concerned local government units to investigate these incidents.
She asked the people to help authorities by providing relevant information and stop spreading fake news.
Another Barangay chairman has been assassinated.
A barangay chairman and two companions were arrested in a buy-bust operation on Bypass Road, Barangay San Jose, Palo, Leyte, on Tuesday.
Police identified the suspects as barangay chairman Mario, 35, Rank 1 Regional Priority Target Listed (RPTL) High-Value Individual (HVI); and Jessa, 34, and Josh, 18, all are residents of Leyte, Leyte.
Recovered from them were seven heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing suspected shabu weighing 805 grams and a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P5,474,000.
Police Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy, PRO-8 director, lauded operating units for the successful operation.
"The arrest of the region's Rank 1 HVI is a major accomplishment in our anti-illegal drug campaign. We will continue conducting intelligence-driven operations and strengthening partnerships to keep Eastern Visayas safe and drug-free," he said.
He encouraged the public to stay vigilant and support law enforcement by reporting illegal drug activities in their communities to help maintain peace, order, and public safety across the region.
A Barngay Chairman has been busted for drugs.
Unidentified gunmen attacked the home of a village chairperson in the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM) on Tuesday night, leaving the official slightly injured despite the election gun ban in effect ahead of next month’s historic parliamentary elections.
Police identified the victim as Toks Pulalon, chairperson of Barangay Tugal in Kadayangan town.
Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said Pulalon sustained a gunshot wound in the elbow and is recuperating at a hospital in nearby Midsayap, Cotabato province.
“We are still determining the motive behind the attack,” Salanguit said.
Citing an initial police report, Salanguit said several armed men riding on motorcycles arrived in front of Pulalon’s house at around 8:15 p.m. and, without provocation, opened fire at his residence using assault rifles.
The attack occurred about 500 meters from the Kadayangan Municipal Police Station.
Responding police officers immediately responded, but the assailants had already fled.
A village chief has survived an assassination attempt.
