It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
Two councilmen of Barangay Candabong in Dumanjug town, southern Cebu will be facing charges for violation of Presidential Decree 1602, or the law on illegal gambling, and the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) after they were caught engaging in an illegal cockfighting activity on Thursday afternoon, May 7, 2020.
Police Major Ardeioleto Cabagnot, chief of Dumanjug Police Station identified the two councilors as Regelio Mayonila, 38 and Mark Gil Bendallio, 35. Also nabbed together with the two was a minor, whose name is withheld.
According to Cabagnot, there were more who were part of the illegal activity but only the three were arrested as the other participants quickly scampered when police arrived.
“We were not able to arrest everyone as there were too many of them and the police were not familiar with the area,” said Cabagnot, who added that they acted on the activity after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen.
When the two councilors were asked why they were engaged in the activity, Cabagnot said that two admitted it was just their way to relieve themselves from boredom brought by the ECQ.
Two barangay councilors caught illegally cockfighting "to relive themselves from boredom."
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1271767/fwd-cayetano-congress-to-fix-the-mess-others-made-on-abs-cbn-franchise |
“We would have wanted to do this in an orderly manner. But what we want and what we have to deal with are two different things. So this Congress has no choice but to once again rise to the occasion and fix the mess others make,” Cayetano said in a Facebook post.
Actually Congress is the one who made this mess by sitting on the bill to renew ABS-CBN's franchise since 2014.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1271812/pnp-files-charges-against-barangay-captain-mswd-officer-in-negros-occidental-for-irregular-sap-distribution |
The Western Visayas police have filed charges against a barangay (village) chief and an officer of the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office in Isabela, Negros Occidental for alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash assistance under the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, director of the Western Visayas regional police, said Friday that cases for violation of the Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and for violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) for falsification of documents by a public official were filed against Maria Luz Leal Ferrer, chief of Barangay 8.
Meanwhile, Mae Fajardo, MSWD officer in Isabela town, was also charged for violation of Article 171 of the RPC for allegedly falsifying the official list of recipients of cash aid under the SAP.
He said the complainant revealed that Ferrer released cash aid to her 13-year-old grandchild and to her well-off relative.
The complainant also alleged that the village chief has “bias” in selecting the beneficiaries for the cash aid in his locality, added Pamuspusan.
One official falsified the list of SAP recipients and another gave money to people not qualified including her 13 year old grandchild.
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| https://www.panaynews.net/cidg-6-to-probe-village-chief-over-sap-anomaly/ |
CIDG-6 chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda declined to identify the barangay captain but said his police provincial chief, Police Lieutenant Emanuel Tingson, will lead the probe.
According to Gamboa, “In Region 6 meron sinasabi na parang niece or nephew ngbarangay captain who is not actually poorest of the poor has been included in the list of SAP beneficiaries.”
More SAP anomalies.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/737448/barangay-chairman-in-caloocan-accused-of-asking-for-half-of-cash-aid/story/ |
A barangay chairman in Caloocan City was allegedly caught on video asking a social amelioration program beneficiary for half of his P8,000 cash aid, supposedly to be given to another resident.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/737455/wife-of-kagawad-caught-on-video-asking-for-cash-from-aid-beneficiary/story/ |
The wife of a kagawad in Barangay Matandang Balara, Quezon City was recorded on video asking social amelioration program beneficiaries for P500 from their cash aid.
According to Saleema Refran's Friday report on 24 Oras, Maricris Estaban was recorded saying that the supposed donation will be given to the Old Balara Ladies Brigade.
The uploader of the video asked Esteban how to be a member and of the benefits of joining the group. She later agreed to pay the P500.
Esteban said the money would be given to members of the Old Balara Ladies Brigade who were not included in the program.
How awful. Asking money from these poor people who have been waiting, sometimes for days, to get this necessary cash aid.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102361 |
A police officer assigned at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) Intelligence Division was caught transporting boxes of liquor at a quarantine checkpoint in Cabugao village, Santa Barbara town, Iloilo on Friday night.
A police report said Staff Sgt. Paul Pingoy, 39, along with a certain Adolfo Patiam, 30, both of San Sebastian village, Sarbara, carried 30 boxes of Tanduay Rhum in a grey Innova car.
“The Philippine National Police does not tolerate wrongdoings among our personnel thus, appropriate criminal and administrative charges shall be filed against the offender,” it said.
“Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, PRO 6 regional director, is serious in ensuring internal discipline among our personnel. Rest assured that PRO6 personnel will continue to do its mandate as front-liners in this time of the pandemic,” it added.
Pingoy will face criminal and administrative charges for violating the liquor ban as the province is under enhanced community quarantine.
Another cop trying to make a few extra pesos on the side. What's wrong with that?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102386 |
The statement released by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) regarding the franchise issue of embattled media network ABS-CBN Corp. is not an official stance of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS).
The NTF ELCAC, in a Facebook post, cited several reasons as to why ABS-CBN had to cease its broadcast operations on Tuesday.
It also blamed the ABS-CBN over the closure of its television and radio stations nationwide, leaving its 11,000 workers unemployed.
“Ang istasyong ABS-CBN mismo ang dahilan kung bakit nawalan ng trabaho at kinabukasan ang libu-libo nilang empleyado (Thousands of ABS-CBN workers lose their jobs because of the station)," it said.
The NTF-ELCAC also argued that ABS-CBN failed to resolve the issues hounding the renewal of its 25-year congressional franchise which already expired on May 4.
It said the granting of the media network’s new franchise was not approved because of unsettled legal issues.
“Ang request of franchise renewal ng istasyon ay disapproved, dahil sa legal issues na kanilang kinaharap sa nakalipas na mga taon. Ngunit, hindi ito inayos o ginawan ng paraan ng istasyon upang ituwid (The station’s request of franchise renewal was disapproved because of the legal issues raised years ago. The station did not settle the issue),” the NTF ELCAC said.
Screenshots of NTF ELCAC’s statement being shared by PCOO on its official Facebook page went viral on social media.
Andanar, in a press statement, said the PCOO’s resharing of a posted content by NTF ELCAC on its Facebook page regarding the legal situation of ABS-CBN Corporation’s broadcast license ”was done without the usual vetting process of our office.”
”That being said, the posted content is not in any way an official statement or an opinion of the PCOO. The issue regarding ABS-CBN Corporation's network franchise remains within the purview of Congress,” Andanar said.Firstly why would the national task force to end the communist conflict post such a thing? Secondly why would the PCOO share it? Of course the public will think anything the PCOO shares is supported by them. It also was not only the PCOO which shared this post by the NTF-ECLAC.
Roque also reacted to the NTF ELCAC’s comment, saying his office does not share the same view.
”We wish to clarify that the above posts did not come from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson and the NTF Stratcomms which is headed by the OPS. Hence, not the official statement of our Office,” he said.
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| Add captionhttps://pressone.ph/pcoo-shares-then-later-disowns-facebook-post-meant-to-discredit-abs-cbn/ |
The NTF-ELCAC posts were shared by the PCOO and its attached agencies’ FB accounts like Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) and the Philippine Information Agency’s regional offices.That is four government agencies sharing fake news about ABS-CBN. Andanar admitted that these posts were shared without being properly vetted. Is this really a simple mistake? Who clicked the share button and who at the NTF-ECLAC wrote the original post?
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1271842/look-into-possible-perjury-charges-vs-ntc-osg-over-abs-cbn-shutdown-house-urged |
To recall, on March 10, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba told members of the House that they will follow the advice of the Department of Justice (DOJ), allowing ABS-CBN to operate while its franchise renewal bid is pending in Congress.
Despite this pronouncement, the NTC on May 5, one day after ABS-CBN’s franchise expired, issued a cease and desist order, directing the network to stop operating its television and radio broadcasting stations nationwide “absent a valid Congressional Franchise required by law.”
The cease and desist order came two days after Calida’s warning to the NTC.
Defensor questioned NTC’s backtracking on earlier pronouncement and likewise hit Calida’s letter “pressuring” the NTC warning them against issuing a provisional authority to ABS-CBN.Will it really come to this? Again the fault lies totally in Congress who has been sitting on an ABS-CBN franchise renewal bill since 2014.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/737562/dilg-expresses-alarm-over-reports-of-social-amelioration-beneficiaries-allegedly-being-nabbed/story/ |
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it has been receiving reports of some residents getting arrested and jailed after posting their concerns about the government's Social Amelioration Program on social media.
In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV on Sunday, Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño said some local officials allegedly went to the houses of these residents, dragged them to barangay halls, and jailed them in precincts.Well that is crazy. Getting arrested because you posted a complaint on Facebook.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/05/11/2013305/dilg-183-barangay-execs-under-probe-over-alleged-corruption-cash-aid-distribution |
Some 183 barangay officials are under investigation over alleged corruption in the distribution of social amelioration program, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Monday.
In a statement, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said “complaints poured in” after President Rodrigo Duterte announced last week a P30,000-reward for confirmed corruption incidents over distribution of government cash aid in this COVID-19 pandemic.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is conducting the probe.
“There are a lot of complaints but we are now sorting them to pin-point the cases that have basis, so for now, there are 183 cases under investigation,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.
It remains unclear where the funds of the reward will be sourced.
The DILG chief said that arrests have been made since the first week of May, starting with Hagonoy, Bulacan barangay councilor Danilo Flores who was mentioned by Duterte in his public address.
Police have also arrested Isabela, Negros Occidental barangay captain Maria Luz Leal Ferrer who was accused of falsifying the beneficiaries list in her barangay.Only 183 officials under investigation?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102593 |
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) continues to receive complaints on alleged irregularities in the distribution of government cash aid in connection with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
Col. Romeo Baleros, police provincial director, on Tuesday, said the latest message he received was from a resident of Silay City.
“We forward the complaints to our investigators who conduct the validation and case build-up. Once we confirm that the recipient is not qualified, we can use it as evidence,” Baleros said.
Last week, the police filed criminal charges against Maria Luz Ferrer, village chief of Barangay 8, and municipal social welfare and development officer Mae Fajardo in Isabela for their alleged involvement in irregularities in the release of social amelioration grant under the Emergency Subsidy Program (ESP).
A third individual, listed as a beneficiary in Isabela, but is actually a resident of Bago City, was also charged.
Meanwhile, Ferrer, whose 13-year-old granddaughter was listed as a beneficiary, said in an interview that on May 5, she gave back the PHP6,000 to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.
“It was merely politics,” Ferrer said of the issues raised against her.More of the same shenanigans over the SAP money.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/13/20/i-dont-think-na-merong-violation-pnp-chief-defends-sinas-birthday-fte |
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Archie Gamboa on Tuesday defended National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Debold Sinas over his birthday celebration during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 crisis), which drew backlash for supposedly flouting physical distancing and mass gathering guidelines.
“Una, walang party’ng nangyari ang sabi ni Gen. [Debold] Sinas. Probably nagkaroon ng mañanita pero doon sa mañanita ang sabi ni Gen. Sinas is that inobserve pa rin nila ‘yong mga social distancing. Now, I don't think na meron namang violation ito,” he said in his virtual press briefing.
The NCRPO threw Sinas an early birthday serenade on Friday, May 8.
Photos posted by the NCRPO Public Information Office on its Facebook page on May 8, 2020 showed police officers giving Sinas roses and cakes.
Sinas was also seen mingling at a table while others lined up at buffet meals.
Some of the photos posted on the NCRPO Public Information Office's page were later deleted.
Based on what he was told, Gamboa said physical distancing was observed during the celebration.
“He assured me that physical distancing was observed that time. So kung meron man then I will look into it but as of yet I still trust naman Gen. Sinas,” he said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1273838/lapses-in-doh-patient-data-uncovered |
According to a Facebook post by the UP Resilience Institute on Tuesday, they have spotted these errors from observing the official Department of Health (DOH) data from April 24 to April 25. In one day, 45 cases have changed genders, while at least 75 patients became either older or younger.
At least 516 meanwhile were reclassified to a different city or location while one patient was reported dead only to be among the alive patients the next day.
While these data discrepancies may seem minor, the UP COVID-19 response team said in its Policy Note entitled “Prevailing Data Issues in the Time of COVID-19 and the Need for Open Data” that accurate data is integral in mounting the appropriate response to the pandemic.
“The availability of accurate and relevant data is a basic requirement in managing any situation that requires urgent and targeted response […] Accuracy, however, goes beyond correctness in reporting aggregate numbers. Recent data drops by DOH revealed a number of alarming patient-level inconsistencies, if not gross errors,” the group explained.
Why these errors in data? Maybe the problem is money. Perhaps the solution is to undo the liquor ban so the DOH can ave the funds it needs to properly record data.“For example, on 03 May 2020, DOH reported 7 deaths (28 recoveries) in Laguna, which was 22 deaths (65 recoveries) lesser than the provincial government’s official count,” they added.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1274533/nbi-summons-mocha-uson-for-posting-fake-photo-of-ppe-donation |
“She is being investigated by our Cybercrime Division for fake news,” NBI Deputy Director and Spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said adding that she is required to appear on May 18.
Lavin said the move by the NBI is pursuant to the orders of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to look into all possible violations of the quarantine protocols.
“Included in the investigation of NBI for fake news as ordered by the Secretary of Justice,” he said.
The incident subject of the summon is one of Mocha’s post in her popular blog about personal protective equipment (PPE) purchased by the Department of Health (DOH). Her post was accompanied by a photo of frontliners wearing PPEs.
Her post was called out by netizens saying that the photo showed PPEs donated by a mall chain, not the government. Uson then edited the post and apologized.Sounds more like a mistake which she quickly corrected then actual fake news of which she has posted quite a lot!
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/310175/tangke-councilman-to-face-complaint-for-strangling-teacher-over-sap |
A councilman of Barangay Tangke in Talisay City is facing a complaint for direct assault after allegedly strangling a college instructor because of an altercation over the distribution of the socialize amelioration program (SAP).
(This councilman was mad at those distributing the SAP because his constituents were not part of the list of beneficiaries.)
Fabian said the councilman charged at a college instructor identified as Marl Vincent Labitad, who was part of the distribution team.
(That was what he was mad about that they were not part of the SAP beneficiaries list. He attacked the victim, he choked him and threatened him.)
He strangled a guy who had nothing to do with whether or not his constituents were on the list. Why attack the little guy?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102848 |
The Manila police official who was tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is now facing administrative and criminal cases for sneaking into the city, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Thursday.
Magalong said the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters has launched a pre-charge investigation on Maj. Rafael Roxas, deputy chief of the PNP Crime Laboratory’s Fingerprint Division, after apologizing to the mayor for slipping into Baguio without undergoing the quarantine protocols.
Those who want to enter the city have to present a permit from the city government at the borders then will be led to the triage to make a referral whether they will undergo a 14-day quarantine in a medical facility, or home isolation.
Cops keep violating the quarantine.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1274924/3-barangay-officials-in-hagonoy-bulacan-charged-over-sap-anomaly |
Three barangay officials of a village in Hagonoy, Bulacan were charged with graft and corruption by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) due to alleged anomalies in the distribution of funds from the government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor on Thursday identified those charged before the Department of Justice on May 11 as Chairman Jason Mendoza, Kagawad Danilo Flores, and Executive Assistant Richard Bautista, who are all from Barangay San Agustin.
The NBI official noted that three complainants claimed that SAP beneficiaries in the village received P6,500 each on April 27 at San Agustin Elementary School.
In the afternoon of the same date, Flores, accompanied by a certain Michael Perez, then demanded from them P4,000 from the SAP cash subsidy they have received, according to Distor.
Flores allegedly claimed that the P3,500 will be given to Hagonoy Municipal Mayor Raulito Manlapaz Sr. while the remaining P500 will be given to the frontliners of the municipality of Hagonoy.
Further investigation revealed that Flores even threatened the complainants they will be blacklisted and eventually delisted as beneficiaries of all relief and amelioration grants of the government if they refuse to give the P4,000, according to Distor.
“Against their will, complainants gave back to subject Flores the amount of P4,000,” he said in an NBI report.
Citing statements from witnesses, Distor added that a total of P117,000 collected by Flores was turned over to Bautista and his wife.
“Witnesses further averred that it is common knowledge in their barangay that being the executive assistants, which position requires the barangay chairman’s trust and confidence, subject Bautista has indeed gained the confidence of Chairman Mendoza, thus they believe that subject Bautista could not have acted on his own without the imprimatur of his boss, incumbent chairman Mendoza,” added the NBI official.Barangay officials stealing from their constituents.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102765 |
Negros Oriental provincial police director, Col. Julian Entoma, on Wednesday said they are now investigating the possible involvement of a provincial government-owned car in the murder of broadcast journalist Cornelio Pepino a.k.a. Rex Cornelio last week.
He said based on closed circuit television (CCTV) footages from the Dumaguete City government and from private entities, police investigators saw the car, a silver-gray Toyota sedan, appearing to be tailing the anchor the night Pepino was shot by two unidentified motorcycle-riding suspects on May 5 along the national highway in Barangay Daro here.
Entoma said police investigators considered including the car in the investigation after checking on the CCTV footages. With the help of information technology (IT) experts, the enhanced video clips showed the vehicle with its red plate number along the same route that Pepino, along with his wife onboard a motorcycle, took in going home from the radio station he worked for.
A red plate is issued by the Land Transportation Office for government vehicles.
While not being explicit about the details so as not to compromise the investigation, Entoma said the motorcycle driver and the alleged gunman were “seen to board the sedan after the execution of the crime”, leaving behind the motorcycle they rode.
The police also failed to recover the abandoned motorcycle that evening as Entoma said they believe that the sedan was a “ploy to mislead” pursuing policemen to search for the suspects on board a motorcycle instead, rather than in a four-wheeled vehicle.
Entoma said after thorough investigation and based on intelligence reports, the police found the said Toyota sedan with the red plate, whose numbers appeared to match those in the CCTV footages, parked near the Department of Education (DepEd) building in the Capitol area.
Further follow-up and tracing led the police to discover that the car “belonged” to the provincial government, he said.Could someone in the Department of Education be behind the murder of a journalist in Dumaguete?
