It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2014978/makati-police-chief-officer-sacked-after-makati-shooting |
The Makati City Police Station chief and a substation commander were relieved of their posts following an alleged shooting that occurred in front of ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro while she was stuck in traffic on Wednesday night.
During her manifestation at the House quad committee’s 13th hearing on Thursday, Castro expressed concern about her safety as she narrated that two police officers went out of their patrol car at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig after a man aboard a motorbike moved near authorities.
It did not sit well with the lawmaker that one of the police officers supposedly fired his gun in an area crowded with civilians.
However, the NCRPO said their records showed that the incident occurred on Makati Avenue in Makati and not in BGC.
“Right now, our investigators are on the ground to determine the details of the incident. Part of the investigation is to find out why no report was made by Makati City Police Station regarding the incident,” the NCRPO said in a statement.
“Pending investigation, the Chief of Police of Makati City Police Station, the Police Commander of Sub-Station 6 and the personnel directly involved in the incident will be relieved from their posts to pave the way to an impartial inquiry on the matter,” it added.
Police also gave its assurance to the public, including Castro that NCRPO will uncover details about the alleged shooting incident and its members who committed transgressions against policies “will not be tolerated and will be penalized accordingly.”Moreover, the NCRPO reiterated that all its operations should be conducted following its. police operational procedures (POP) and that any deviations from the POP during operations “will be dealt with accordingly.”
The Makati City Police Station chief and a substation commander were relieved of their posts following an alleged shooting that occurred in front of ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro.
A former policemen was caught with approximately P500,000 worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation in Balasan town, Iloilo province on Thursday.
The suspect was identified as alias Tampol.“This arrest serves as a stark reminder that the Philippine National Police (PNP) does not tolerate any wrongdoing, especially by those who were once part of our ranks,” said Police Col. Bayani Razalan, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).The Balasan Municipal Police Station (MPS) with the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency caught Tampol, a major drug dealer in Balasan and neighboring towns.Also recovered from Tampol was a .38 caliber revolver with five live bullets.Tampol was dismissed from the PNP in 2020 for illegal discharge of firearm.“The rule of law applies to everyone including former colleagues who have chosen to violate it,” added Razalan.
A former cop has been busted for drugs.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2015095/police-officer-faces-arrest-for-snubbing-house-hearings |
The House of Representatives cited former Mandaluyong City police chief Hector Grijaldo in contempt on Thursday and ordered him arrested after he failed to attend a joint committee hearing for the fourth time.
Taguig Rep. Amparo Zamora moved to have Grijaldo held in contempt after a Philippine National Police medical evaluation found him fit to appear before the quad committee.
The panel composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights, and public accounts has been investigating supposed links among offshore gaming operators, Chinese syndicates, the illegal drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the country.
“Sorry Mr. Chair, but I think we’ve given him enough leeway,” Zamora told the quad committee chair, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers. “We’ve been so patient with him and I think it’s the right time to make an appropriate motion.”
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong moved that Grijaldo be detained at the House’s detention facility until after the panel concludes its hearings.
Grijaldo has not returned since his appearance at the Oct. 28 Senate hearing where he accused two quad committee cochairs, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante
Jr, and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, of trying to coerce him to corroborate former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma’s testimony under the Duterte drug war.He was summoned because he was the Mandaluyong police chief at the time PCSO board member Wesley Barayuga was killed, allegedly under the orders of Garma and former National Police Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.
Since then, Grijaldo has skipped House hearings, saying he had to undergo surgery for his rotator cuff syndrome.
But Police Lt. Col. Lionel Garcia, orthopedic department chief of the PNP General Hospital, testified before the House panel that the patient was “awake, coherent, cooperative and ambulatory.”
Grijaldo is now facing an administrative case for neglect of duty after he repeatedly failed to attend legislative hearings, according to Police Col. Rowena Acosta, chief of the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit.
The PNP disclosed that Grijaldo was given 10 days to reply to the administrative charges.
The House of Representatives cited former Mandaluyong City police chief Hector Grijaldo in contempt on Thursday and ordered him arrested after he failed to attend a joint committee hearing for the fourth time.
The quad committee of the House of Representatives yesterday cited former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva in contempt for lying under oath.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, quad comm lead chair, ordered a copy of the arrest order to be sent to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for implementation.
However, in Villanueva’s case, Barbers said the implementation would be delayed, in the spirit of Christmas, to Jan. 13, 2025 when the House resumes its regular session.
The discussion involving Villanueva during yesterday’s 13th hearing was centered on the complaint of detainee Jed Pilapil Sy, wife of suspected drug lord and Chinese national Allan Sy.
Mrs. Sy testified that she was arrested and made to sign an affidavit by her lawyer – a waiver pertaining to her arrest without the benefit of a warrant of arrest – in their house in Domoy, Davao City in 2004.
She said she was sentenced to imprisonment and jailed for the past 20 years for charges that she did not commit.
Her husband, she added, was killed by authorities prior to her arrest.
The quad comm questioned Villanueva about the warrantless arrest, but he evaded giving direct answers.
Asked by Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. if PDEA agents had a warrant of arrest when they arrested and jailed Mrs. Sy, Villanueva said the woman was not jailed and was just invited for interview.
“Since it’s already delegated to my investigators, I don’t know how many days she was there. My instruction is to conduct an interview on Jed Pilapil Sy because she is really a person of interest,” Villanueva said.
“As to detaining her, I have no personal knowledge, Mr. Chair. We are busy conducting follow up operations and investigation on other sites where the warehouses are located,” he added.
Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, also a former police officer, said Villanueva could not claim lack of knowledge on what transpired later to Mrs. Sy, citing the principle of command responsibility.
The quad committee of the House of Representatives yesterday cited former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva in contempt for lying under oath.
A municipal mayor in Negros Occidental was found administratively liable for the termination of the consultancy services of two doctors at the town’s hospital before their contracts ended.
The Provincial Board (PB) of Negros Occidental, acting as the investigating body, said Mayor Marilyn Era of Calatrava town was guilty of grave abuse of authority and gross negligence of duty.
In a decision signed by Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer on Nov. 26, Era was meted a penalty of a two-month suspension.
But in consideration of the need for continuity of public service to the people of Calatrava, the PB decided to just let the mayor pay a fine equivalent to two months of her salary, payable to the complainants, instead of being suspended.
Dr. Lewyn Torres, one of the two complaints, told the Inquirer in an interview on Dec. 6, that he was not satisfied with the PB’s decision because based on the provisions of the law, grave misconduct was punishable by six months to one year suspension.
He said he would meet with his legal counsel and may elevate the case to the Office of the Ombudsman.The issue stemmed from a complaint filed by Torres and Dr. Kristine Ureta who were hired by the mayor as medical consultants of the Calatrava Municipal Hospital for three months or from April 1 to June 30, 2024.
In the last month of their consultancy services, they were informed by the chief of the hospital that they would not receive “any scheduled rotation” for June.
They argued that this act implies an early dismissal as the absence of work assignment was a prelude that they were excluded from the consultancy services.
The complainants wrote a letter to the mayor on June 3 ,seeking clarification but did not get a reply.
In its decision, the PB said Era committed grave abuse of authority by refusing to provide a work schedule to the two doctors for the month of June and negligence for her refusal to reply to their queries.
A municipal mayor in Negros Occidental was found administratively liable for the termination of the consultancy services of two doctors at the town’s hospital before their contracts ended.
A former cop who was involved in a looting incident in Imus, Cavite in 2023 was arrested in Lucena, Quezon, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
At a press briefing, PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo said six more dismissed cops are still at large.
Fajardo identified the arrested ex-cop as Reymel Czar Reyes.
“So out of the eight na pinangalanan sa warrants of arrest, isa po ang naaresto doon ng [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] sa Lucena at kasalukuyan pong nakakulong. At ang isa po doon, nag-iisang babae ay nakapagbail na po. So anim na lang po yung hinahanap ngayon,” Fajardo said.
(So out of the eight named in the warrants of arrest, one was arrested there by the CIDG in Lucena and is currently in jail. And one of them, the only woman, has already bailed. So only six people are at large.)
The former cops allegedly looted the house of 67-year-old Rebecca Caoile, a former professor, in Barangay Alapan 1-A during a supposed buy-bust operation in August 2023.
A CCTV footage showed the cops carrying some items from the house including a tire and a motorcycle rim. Caoile's son said the cops also took his savings worth P80,000, his laptop, and tools.
The involved cops neither had a search warrant nor arrest warrant for the operation, according to the PNP.
Complaints for robbery and extortion were filed against the involved police officers.
A former cop who was involved in a looting incident in Imus, Cavite in 2023 was arrested in Lucena, Quezon.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2016074/coa-4000-dead-seniors-still-on-philhealth-database |
Thousands of deceased senior citizens remain in the database of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), while data on more than a million others were either incomplete or erroneous, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
State auditors flagged the PhilHealth program for its enrolled senior citizens, which they said had a deficiency when it comes to collection and management process controls of the data on its 8.5 million enrollees.
According to the COA’s annual audit report on the state health insurer, this deficiency resulted in several issues, including the incomplete and erroneous entries for 1.3 million beneficiaries, duplication of nearly 270,000 senior citizen members and the inclusion of 4,062 deceased members in the PhilHealth Members Database (PMD) and billings to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
The COA said its audit team sent letters to 250 health-care institutions (HCIs) requesting the list of its deceased patients as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Of the HCIs contacted, 63 responded, revealing that 3,616 senior citizens tagged as deceased from 2019 to 2022 were still included in the PMD.
“It is emphasized that the 63 respondents (HCIs) represent only 3.41 percent of PhilHealth’s total 1,846 accredited hospitals as of July 31, 2023. Thus, the aggregate number of deceased SC (senior citizens) in the database can be [much higher],” it added.
Another issue raised by the COA was that the elderly members’ data showed that 1.3 million enrolled beneficiaries, or 15.55 percent of the total, either have incomplete or erroneous details.
Most of the errors found by the COA pertained to the encoding of only a beneficiary’s middle initial instead of the full middle name, which involved 1.25 million beneficiaries.Other errors included entries with no middle name, misspelled names, no encoding of their first or second names, and even suffixes that were not encoded in the right field.
The COA also raised the duplication and multiple entries for 266,665 enrolled senior citizens.
Assuming that half of them “are the unique or original data, the estimated minimum overbilling made by PhilHealth to the [national government] at P5,000 per member would be P666.66 million,” the report said.
Thousands of deceased senior citizens remain in the database of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., while data on more than a million others were either incomplete or erroneous, according to the Commission on Audit.
The University of the Philippines failed to act on all recommendations by state auditors to address a long-delayed P134.6-million digital infrastructure project, including collecting penalties from and blacklisting a subsidiary of a telecommunications giant, according to the Commission on Audit's annual financial report released Friday, December 13.
The 2023 COA findings note that UP has failed to enforce accountability measures on a major telco's digital services subsidiary over the troubled eUP Project — an initiative signed in 2012 under then-UP President Alfredo Pascual that aimed to integrate academic systems across all UP campuses. Despite COA's recommendations in its 2022 audit, the university has neither collected penalties nor secured the project's completion.
State auditors noted the university's continued inaction on three recommendations made last year. These were to collect damages from ePLDT, delist it from government projects, and demand the completion of undelivered project components.
In a statement sent to Philstar.com, PLDT said its subsidiary, ePLDT, has agreed with the university to "close" the issues related to the eUP Project.
The company's communications team said: "The University of the Philippines (UP) and ePLDT have agreed in principle on a mutually beneficial agreement to close the issues on the eUP Project, built on mutual trust and a shared goal to drive sustained success for UP’s stakeholders, and in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations."
"ePLDT remains committed to supporting the academic community by helping enhance educational competitiveness using technology and fostering a brighter, digitally driven future for all," the statement read.
The liquidated damages that UP failed to collect from the telecommunications company amount to P39.7 million as of Nov. 30, 2022. This stems from the contractor's almost six years of delay in implementing key components of the eUP Project.
UP only submitted an updated computation of liquidated damages but took no concrete action to enforce penalties or secure the remaining deliverables, according to the audit report.
The UP Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs had, however, drafted a "memo" recommending the issuance of a notice of termination, a verified report and a blacklist order by the head of the procuring entity.
"Thereafter, the parties may resort to arbitration," the COA report stated. Despite this, state auditors noted that there was "no submitted Memo or updates whether ePLDT Inc. was blacklisted by the university." State auditors also noted that there were "no updates in the actions taken by the Management regarding undelivered portion of the project / service to be rendered."
Last year, COA had specifically urged UP to deduct the damages from any money due to the telecommunications company and collect from the company's performance/security bond, as provided under Article V of their Memorandum of Agreement.
The university was also advised to impose appropriate sanctions beyond the liquidated damages, as prescribed under the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9184 on liquidated damages, amended under Government Procurement Policy Board Resolution No. 02-2020.
Among COA's recommendations for UP was to "initiate the procedure of blacklisting ePLDT Inc. to disqualify it from participating in the bidding of all government projects if warranted."
The eUP project was meant to harmonize and automate information systems across UP's eight constituent universities and one autonomous college spread across 17 campuses nationwide.
Key components remain undelivered, including system integration test results and stress and security test results that would prove the interoperability of all information systems.
According to state auditors' findings in 2022, UP had sent the contractor a "final demand letter" on Feb. 12, 2020 to collect damages for its failure to finish the project by Jan. 15, 2017.
The project faced backlash in 2016 when the eUP team criticized students whose undergraduate thesis exposed irregularities in its bidding process and reported violations of government procurement laws on brand references.
The University of the Philippines failed to act on all recommendations by state auditors to address a long-delayed P134.6-million digital infrastructure project, including collecting penalties from and blacklisting a subsidiary of a telecommunications giant, according to the Commission on Audit's annual financial report released Friday, December 13.
A 40-year-old police officer was fatally stabbed by a construction worker during a drinking session in Barangay Pakiad, Oton, Iloilo allegedly fueled by jealousy.
The victim, a Police Staff Sergeant assigned to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Iloilo City, was identified as not being a resident of the area, nor was the suspect, 40-year-old construction worker Dan.
Initial investigation by the Oton Municipal Police revealed that the incident occurred on Monday evening during a gathering at a local store owned by a woman known only as “Dona.” The suspect was drinking with friends when the police officer arrived and joined the group.
Moments later, the suspect suddenly stabbed the officer in the side, reportedly due to jealousy. Authorities disclosed that both men were allegedly vying for the attention of the store owner.
Despite his injury, the officer managed to shoot the suspect before succumbing to his wounds. The suspect survived and is currently being treated at a hospital.
Charges are being prepared against the construction worker as authorities investigate further.
A 40-year-old police officer was fatally stabbed by a construction worker during a drinking session in Barangay Pakiad, Oton, Iloilo allegedly fueled by jealousy.
A police officer from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) tested positive in a random drug test initiated on November 8, 2024.
This was revealed by Police Lieutenant Colonel Christian Torres, spokesperson of LCPO.
He said that the police officer had a rank of a Police Staff Sergeant and was an operative of the Intelligence Unit.
However, Torres said that they were still waiting for the result of the confirmatory test.
During the drug test, 50 police personnel were subjected to the drug test.(We will make an investigation and it would be worse if there are confirmatory test. Then for him he can challlenge it. And then if the procedure would be finished in the crime lab where all will be positive, he will undergo a summary dismissal proceedings since that is a grave crime.)
He said that he was also waiting for the decision of the unit head, whether the said police would remain in his post or he would be relieved and be placed at the holding unit.
However, if the confirmatory test remained positive, the said police would be relieved as an operative of the Intelligence Unit.
A police officer from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office tested positive in a random drug test.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/612803/pandi-mayor-councilor-arrested-for-rape-ncrpo |
The mayor of Pandi town in Bulacan province, a municipal councilor, and another individual were arrested over two rape complaints, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Wednesday.
Neither the NCRPO nor the Northern Police District (NPD) named those arrested, with the latter only identifying them as “a 51-year-old male mayor of Pandi, Bulacan; a 48-year-old male municipal councilor of the same town; and a 52-year-old male government employee.”
The incumbent mayor of Pandi is Enrico Roque.
The arrest took place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the Roque-owned Amana Waterpark in Pandi, the NPD said in a statement on Wednesday.
The warrant was issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 121 in Caloocan City.
The NCRPO and the NPD did not provide details about the victim.
The suspects were brought to the NPD Custodial Facility, awaiting legal proceedings with no bail recommended.
“This operation is a strong reminder that no one is above the law. Our assurance is that NCRPO will pursue justice without fear or favor, ensuring accountability for everyone,” NCRPO Acting Director BGen. Anthony Aberin said in a separate statement on Wednesday.
The mayor of Pandi town in Bulacan province, a municipal councilor, and another individual were arrested over two rape complaints.
Silay City Legal Officer Atty. Janus Jarder has been cited for two counts of contempt by the House Committee on Public Accounts and will be detained in Congress for lying.
Jarder is set to be detained at the detention cell of the plenary of the House of Representatives starting January 6, 2025. However, Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano intervened, motioning for Jarder to be allowed to spend Christmas and New Year with his family. He will remain in detention until the Committee submits a report.
Rep. Paduano explained that Jarder was cited for contempt due to his refusal to answer relevant questions and his evasive responses during the inquiry.
The contempt charge stems from a congressional investigation into alleged irregularities in the implementation of projects funded by Silay City’s P1.1 billion loan. The issue came to light through the testimony of Silay City Health Acting Officer Dr. Krisna Barnuevo, who revealed that prior to their attendance at the first congressional hearing on November 11, Jarder warned them not to eat the food served at Congress, claiming it could be laced with drugs that would affect their testimony. He also suggested that if they were subjected to a drug test, they would test positive, providing Congress a reason to cite them for contempt. Following Jarder’s advice, Barnuevo and others refrained from eating the food at the hearing.
Jarder and Barnuevo both appeared as resource persons during the inquiry on Wednesday, December 18.
Rep. JinkyBitrics-Luistro, who presided over the inquiry, along with other committee members, condemned Jarder’s actions, calling them a serious attack on Congress. “We ate the food served to everyone. This is a serious attack on this institution, and we do not tolerate such actions,” Luistro remarked.
Committee members Rep. Romeo Acop and Rep. Zia Alonto-Adiong, who were involved in the investigation, stated that they support immediate detention for Jarder due to the seriousness of his actions, particularly his false statements.
Silay City Legal Officer Atty. Janus Jarder has been cited for two counts of contempt by the House Committee on Public Accounts and will be detained in Congress for lying.
