It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
The chief of police of Dolores town, Eastern Samar province, 15 police officers, and a non-uniformed personnel (NUP) were relieved from their posts following a viral photo of them drinking inside the police station during their Christmas party on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Police Lt. Col. Analiza Armeza, regional public information officer of the Police Regional Office-8, confirmed their removal, and maintained that drinking inside the police station, especially while on duty and during a Christmas party, is clearly a violation of existing rules and regulations in the Philippine National Police.
PRO-8 Director Police Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy has ordered an investigation of the incident.
Relieved personnel were placed under the Provincial Holding and Accounting Unit.
Capoy expressed dismay over the incident, citing that despite constant reminders, a few of them failed to practice caution in their actions.
He assured accountability for the incident.
16 cops have been relived for drinking liquor in their station.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Agriculture (DA) for “inadequate management oversight” after more than half of 101 goats procured for a goat production project died due to the lack of proper animal feed.
Based on COA’s annual audit report on the DA for 2024, the 52 goats with a book value of over P2.438 million died last year. The animals were part of the Anglo Nubian and Saanen Goat Production Project under the agriculture department’s Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center in Sual, Pangasinan (PREC).
The 52 were among 101 goats, composed of 68 Anglo-Nubian and 33 Saanen breeder goats. They died while under the custody of the DA’s designated accountable officer (AO), whom the COA said had filed 41 requests for relief from accountability.
“These losses had a total book value of P2,438,200.00,” state auditors said.
According to COA, necropsy reports confirmed that the animals died of various illnesses and diseases, with affidavits from the AO and farm staff saying the goats had shown signs of malnutrition and weakened immune systems, and were “unable to withstand environmental stress and natural calamities.”
State auditors found other issues surrounding the project, including the nonallocation of funds under the maintenance and other operating expenses that began in 2023 and led to the absence of provisions for animal feed.
As a remedy, the PREC chief and the AO had to utilize surplus or excess feed supplies from the National Livestock Program (NLP), supplementing these with grasses, foliage and legumes in order to sustain the goats.
“Additionally, the AO deployed manpower in Lot 1 to take care of and maintain the animals,” COA said. “The AO justified his actions as an exercise of the diligence of a good father of a family.”
The DA’s Ilocos Region office, which has jurisdiction over the goats, told state auditors that the animals were procured under the locally-funded project (LFP) called “Strengthening the Agro-industrial Incubation Program in Region I through Crop-Livestock Diversification.”
Being an LFP, it was not included under the DA’s regular programs, activities and projects or PAPs.
The COA acknowledged that the DA tried to propose funding for the project under the 2023 and 2024 National Expenditure Programs to sustain and expand its impact, but these were not included in the General Appropriations Acts for the said years.
Citing their interview with the AO, state auditors noted that the supply of animal feed sourced from the NLP was “delivered intermittently” during the first semester of 2024 due to procurement delays attributed to the DA’s Ilocos Region office.
The delivered animal feed was only made available around June 2024, with no additional allocation of NLP feed provided to the goats during the second semester of the year, COA said.
The AO then had to resort to a temporary measure, which was to use grasses, forages and legumes to sustain the animals, but these alternatives were “insufficient to meet their nutritional requirements.”
Despite this, state auditors pointed out that the AO still has the responsibility of informing the DA about critical concern,s such as the shortage of animal feed.
The AO, however, was able to raise the issue during management committee meetings held at the DA’s Ilocos Region office in 2023 when the feed supplies began to run low.
“On the other hand, management (DA) holds the primary responsibility for ensuring that essential inputs, particularly animal feed, are adequately considered in the agency’s budget and that project implementation is carried out effectively,” COA said.
It cited rules under Presidential Decree No. 1445, or the Government Auditing Code, which states that persons entrusted with the possession or custody of funds or property under the agency “shall be immediately responsible to him without prejudice to the liability of either party to the government.”
The law also states that the head of a government agency is “immediately and primarily responsible for all government funds and property pertaining to his agency.”
For COA, the failure on the part of the DA to hold primary responsibility over the goats “reflects a lapse in planning and oversight,” which it said was not in accordance with PD 1445.
State auditors recommended that funds should be allocated for the Anglo-Nubian and Saanen Goat Production Project by integrating these into the DA’s regular PAPs.
They also asked the DA to instruct its designated PREC chief to “identify and properly document the specific requirements for animal feed, medicine, and other essentials” and to regularly report these needs to the regional office for appropriate action.
A review on the goat production project should also be initiated by the DA, “considering the possibility of distributing the remaining goats to qualified beneficiaries or transferring them to other suitable projects.”
The DA should also ensure the installation of a monitoring and oversight system to guarantee the proper implementation of livestock management plans.
The DA’s Ilocos Region office, meanwhile, told auditors that fund allocation for the procurement of animal feeds, specifically for the goats, has been included in the project and budget proposal for 2025.
The PREC chief and the designated resident veterinarian are also committed to identifying and compiling specific requirements for the goats.
The COA has called out the DA for starving to death a herd of goats.
The Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) on Thursday said it relieved a police colonel from his post after he allegedly assaulted a patrolman and pointed a gun at him.
Citing initial reports, the PNP said the incident involved a police colonel, the former chief of the HPG Investigation Management Division, and a police patrolman assigned to the Regional Highway Patrol Unit–National Capital Region Intelligence Branch.
The police colonel allegedly assaulted the patrolman following a dispute over unauthorized parking at the HPG parking lot in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The incident was caught on video and has since circulated online.
According to the PNP, the assault involved kicking, pointing a firearm, and striking the patrolman’s head and upper lip with the firearm butt, resulting in injuries confirmed through a medico-legal examination.
PNP-HPG Director PBGen. Hansel Marantan ordered a swift investigation into the incident.
“As a precautionary measure, the police colonel was relieved from his post and reassigned to HRMDDD-PHAS (Human Resource Management and Doctrine Development Division–PNP Headquarters Administrative Service), and his firearm was surrendered and accounted for,” the PNP said in a statement.
“The new Investigation Management Division chief has been directed to determine probable cause and the filing of appropriate administrative and criminal complaints in accordance with National Police Commission Memorandum Circular No. 2016-002,” it added.
The PNP reiterated its commitment to discipline, professionalism, accountability, and respect for human rights, assuring the public that due process will be strictly observed in the investigation.
It also appealed to the public to refrain from speculation, warning that this may undermine the integrity of the investigative process.
A police colonel has been relieved from his post after he allegedly assaulted a patrolman and pointed a gun at him.
A barangay chairman and his son-in-law were arrested for allegedly selling a fake land title in Barangay Caliraya here on Thursday.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Laguna identified the suspects as barangay chairman Silvino and son-in-law Albert.
A woman bought a 300-square-meter lot from the suspects but the property’s titles turned out to be fake when the victim conducted a verification at the municipal and the provincial assessor’s offices.
She also found out that the lot had a legitimate owner.
Silvino asked P500,000 initial payment from the victim and the amount be paid at the barangay hall at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The victim sought help from the police who planned an entrapment operation.
The suspects were arrested after receiving the marked money.
Recovered from the suspects were the marked money and an undocumented 9mm pistol, caliber 40mm, and bullets.
The suspects are in the custody of the CIDG and face appropriate cases.
A barangay chairman and his son-in-law were arrested for allegedly selling a fake land title.
The police chief of the Tuba Municipal Police Station in Benguet has been relieved from his post over alleged investigation lapses into the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, the Philippine National Police confirmed yesterday.
PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said Maj. Peter Camsol was relieved as Tuba police chief based on findings by the Police Regional Office-Cordillera Administrative Region.
The regional police office, Tuaño said, found the Tuba police “remiss in securing pieces of evidence” in the conduct of the investigation.
The police chief of the Tuba Municipal Police Station in Benguet has been relieved from his post over alleged investigation lapses into the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. are facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman over the transfer of P60 billion in “excess” PhilHealth funds to the national treasury.
Apart from plunder, complainant Save the Philippines Coalition also urged the ombudsman to investigate Recto and Ledesma for possible violation of
Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for technical malversation under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code.
The advocacy group said Recto and Ledesma must also be held administratively liable for grave misconduct.
The complaint was signed by Save the Philippines Coalition members Irene Caballes, Elmer Jugalbot, Gerlyn Ogong, Emerita Pecson, Susan Villar, Mussolini Lidasan, Jose Jessie Olivar and Jaime Miralles.
The complainants cited the recent ruling of the Supreme Court declaring the P60-billion transfer of PhilHealth’s excess funds to the national treasury as unconstitutional and ordered its return to the state insurer through the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The complainants said Recto and Ledesma pushed through with the fund transfer despite existing laws explicitly prohibiting the return of PhilHealth’s Reserve Funds to the general fund of the government.
The complainants cited Section 11 of RA 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act (UHCA), which requires PhilHealth to maintain reserve funds up to a ceiling equivalent to two years of projected program expenses.
The complainants pointed out that under Section 11 of UHCA, any excess from the reserve fund ceiling shall not be returned to the national treasury but must instead be used by PhilHealth to increase program benefits for members or decrease the amount of members’ contributions.
The complainants also cited Section 27 of RA 7875 or the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, which established PhilHealth, stating that no reserve funds of the state-owned health insurance firm shall be transferred elsewhere except to income-generating investments, which must benefit PhilHealth members.
The complainants specifically wanted Recto to be held liable for his issuance of Department of Finance (DOF) Circular No. 003-2024 during his term as finance secretary, which included P89 billion in reserve funds of PhilHealth as among the reserve funds of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) ordered transferred to the national treasury.
The complainants said Ledesma must be held liable with Recto as he acquiesced to the lattter’s “unlawful directive.”
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. are facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman over the transfer of P60 billion in “excess” PhilHealth funds to the national treasury.
A sub-village leader was killed while his wife was wounded in a shooting incident that marred the Christmas season and a major cultural festival in Barangay Aglayan here on Monday night, December 22.
Police identified the fatality as Richard Calo Rama, 48, chairman of Purok 4A, who was declared dead on arrival at a hospital. His wife, Trexie Mae del Campo Regacho, 41, sustained gunshot wounds and is undergoing treatment. Both are residents of the area.
Barangay Aglayan Kagawad Peter John Pepito told reporters that the couple was riding their motorcycle past 9:20 p.m. after watching a basketball game when they were allegedly followed by an unidentified suspect.
The shooting occurred along Sayre Highway in Purok 4A.
The gunman fled in an unknown direction after the attack.
The incident happened as Barangay Aglayan was celebrating its 2nd Binaki Festival, held from December 21 to December 23. The annual event honors binaki, a traditional corn-based delicacy symbolizing the village’s culture and livelihood.
The attack also coincided with the Christmas season, casting a pall over the festive activities.
A village leader was assassinated and his wife was injured in a gun attack.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of three police officers involved in the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos during a drug bust operation in Caloocan City in 2017.
In a 40-page decision, the high court’s Second Division denied the appeals of Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda, and Jerwin Cruz, affirming their conviction for murder.
The three were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years of imprisonment, and were ordered to pay delos Santos’ heirs P275,000 in damages.
Court records showed that witnesses saw the police officers stop and frisk delos Santos in Barangay Baesa, Caloocan City, on the evening of August 16, 2017.
After allegedly finding suspected drugs, the officers punched the teenager.
Delos Santos cried and begged to be allowed to go home, telling them he had an exam the next day.
The officers then forced him to hold a towel covering what appeared to be a gun and made him stand with his shirt raised to cover his head.
Witnesses later heard one officer ask whether they should bring Kian to the police station, to which the others replied, “let us put him down.”
The officers dragged delos Santos toward a dark area near a river, where he was shot multiple times by Oares and Pereda. Cruz stood guard during the shooting.
In their defense, the police officers claimed they were responding to reports of illegal drug activity in the area and alleged that shots were fired at them, prompting Oares to chase the supposed shooter and return fire.
Both the Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals earlier convicted the officers of murder and imposed the penalty of reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole.
In the ruling penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower courts’ findings that treachery attended the killing.
The high court cited the testimony of the medico-legal officer, who said delos Santos was likely in a sitting or kneeling position when he was shot.
“Therefore, when Kian was shot, he was not in a position to defend himself. Next, We note that the prosecution evidence showed the chain of events that led to Kian being particularly put in this location and in that position by the accused, allowing them to shoot Kian with impunity and ensuring the execution of the crime,” the court said.
“Considering all these circumstances, treachery was present,” it added.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of three police officers involved in the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos during a drug bust operation in Caloocan City in 2017.
The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc has ordered the dismissal and disbarment of Judge Oscar Tomarong, Presiding Judge of Branch 28, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, for the murder of a fellow judge.
The SC issued the ruling following disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) after Tomarong’s conviction for planning the 2019 killing of Judge Reymar Lacaya, then Presiding Judge of Branch 11, RTC, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.
In a 16-page decision made public on Tuesday, the SC dismissed Tomarong from office, ordered the forfeiture of his retirement benefits, disbarred him from practicing law, and disqualified him from reemployment in the government.
In 2019, the SC reassigned the two judges to each other’s court branches. Shortly after Lacaya finished court hearings in Branch 28 one afternoon, he was ginned down behind the court building.
During the criminal trial, Juliber Cabating testified that Tomarong instructed him to look for hired killers to murder Lacaya. Cabating said Tomarong paid the killers PHP250,000 through him.
Another witness confirmed being with the hired killers in the morning before the murder, and an eyewitness also saw and identified the killers fleeing from the court building shortly after the shooting.
The SC described Tomarong’s actions as among “the gravest violations of judicial duty.”
“The crime involved is a patent breach of the very essence of what it means to be a judge who carries the obligation and privilege of serving the people. At a time when the rise in the attacks against judges has even necessitated the adoption of measures to protect judges, a judge committing the murder of a fellow judge must be punished swiftly and severely,” the SC said.
Although Judge Tomarong’s criminal conviction is still on appeal, the SC ruled that a final conviction is not required to impose administrative penalties.
The SC underscored that no one is above the law, including members of the Judiciary. It emphasized that public trust in the justice system is undermined when judges violate the very laws they are sworn to uphold.
“[N]o one, not even members of the Bench, is above the law. Judges are the embodiment of law and justice… The Judiciary’s task of maintaining the people’s trust is undermined whenever judges neglect their duties, and worse, violate the laws that they are supposed to uphold. This case is the Court’s proof of its commitment to the public that no judge who so callously breaches the law and perpetrates an injustice will go unpunished,” it said.
The SC reminded all courts of their obligation to promptly report any convictions of judges and court personnel to the JIB, now known as the Judicial Integrity Office, in line with the Rules of Court.
The Supreme Court En Banc has ordered the dismissal and disbarment of Judge Oscar Tomarong, Presiding Judge of Branch 28, Regional Trial Court, Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, for the murder of a fellow judge.
An off-duty cop is facing multiple criminal charges after firing his gun and beating up an individual during a Christmas party in Estancia town, northern Iloilo province.
The Police Regional Office-6 announced that the police officer, whose name was withheld, is facing charges of illegally discharging his firearm and slight physical injuries.
The suspect with the rank of senior master sergeant fired his weapon after he helped a friend maul the victim during a Dec. 22 Christmas party.
“There is absolutely no place in the police service for abusive behavior, especially when committed by those entrusted with authority,” said PRO-6 chief Police Brig. Gen. Josefino Ligan in a statement.
“Any personnel found to have violated the law and police rules will face the full force of criminal and administrative sanctions,” added Ligan.
The suspect is also facing charges for resistance and disobedience to an agent of a person in authority.
An off-duty cop is facing multiple criminal charges after firing his gun and beating up an individual during a Christmas party in Estancia town, northern Iloilo province.
