It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2032939/sulu-education-exec-gunned-down |
A lone assailant shot dead the assistant schools division superintendent of Sulu province while she was inside her office in Jolo town on Friday afternoon.
An initial report from Jolo municipal police station, identified the victim as Sonatria Dandun Gaspar assistant schools division for Sulu of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM).
The gunman barged into the office of Gaspar in downtown Jolo shortly before 5 p.m. and shot her in the head.
The suspect then quickly fled the vicinity.
A police manhunt had been launched since Friday.
Mohagher Iqbal, BARMM education minister, strongly condemned the shooting of Gaspar.
“This senseless act of violence has left an indelible mark on the community and the education sector,” Iqbal said in a statement.
“We call for justice and an end to violence, urging authorities to ensure that those responsible for this crime are held accountable,” Iqbal added.
A lone assailant shot dead the assistant schools division superintendent of Sulu province while she was inside her office in Jolo town on Friday afternoon.
For padlocking a disputed property, several officials and personnel of the Mandaue City government are facing graft charges after the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict them for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In a July 9, 2024 resolution, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer II Carl Vincent D. Sasuman ruled that the 27 named respondents and 24 unidentified individuals should be charged in court for violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019.
The Ombudsman decision stemmed from the complaint filed by Maria Priscilla "Happy" Melendres and Maritoni Melendres who accused the respondents of illegal demolition and padlocking a property that they supposedly own in Barangay Paknaan.
The separate cases of arbitrary detention that the Melendreses filed were dismissed by the Ombudsman for lack of probable cause.
The complainants alleged that on May 3, 2023, city officials and personnel fenced their property on the basis of an undated Notice to Demolish.
The respondents allegedly padlocked two gates and restricted access to the property, preventing the complainants from freely entering or leaving.
Priscilla said the city officials had no legal authority to forcibly enter and secure the property without a court order.
The respondents, led by lawyer Julius Caesar Entise, the city’s assistant assessor, have filed a motion for reconsideration, asking the Ombudsman to reverse its decision. Entice said they were just doing their jobs when they implemented the demolition order.
The respondents added that the property was public land and that the Melendres family lacked fencing and building permits.
"We refute forcefully the allegations of Atty. Julius Caesar S. Entise in their Motion for Reconsideration," the complainants said in a statement.
The complainants pointed out that the Notice to Demolish did not come from the Mayor's Office but from the City Legal Office.
"The Ombudsman is correct in saying that respondents were not authorized to demolish, and that respondents took the law into their own hands. Now they should suffer the consequences of their own acts and face possible jail time," the complainants added.
For padlocking a disputed property, several officials and personnel of the Mandaue City government are facing graft charges after the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict them for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1243617 |
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former official of the defunct Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to up to 112 years imprisonment for 16 counts of corruption filed against him for irregularities in the procurement of office supplies in 2010.
In its 50-page decision dated Feb. 6, the anti-graft court's Sixth Division found former ARMM Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional secretary Sultan Usman Tantao Sarangani guilty of conspiring with then regional accountant Nanayon Dibaratun in procuring office supplies and equipment from two firms, Iftizah Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures, both registered in the latter's name.
The procurement of the office supplies and equipment was split into 16 separate transactions with the two suppliers from March to May 2010, with repeated purchases of various equipment, furniture, computers, office supplies, photocopying machines and printers.
The court noted that in one of the transactions alone, the computers cost PHP596,985, which exceeds the maximum threshold for "shopping" as a mode of procurement under the law.
"The fact that the purchases of various office supplies and equipment were split into 16 separate transactions within three months -- a relatively short period -- shows the intent to circumvent the requirement of competitive bidding to favor Iftizah Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures. Had competitive bidding been conducted, other suppliers would have been given a chance to participate in the said procurements, and there was no guarantee that the contracts would be awarded to Iftizah Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures," the court said.
The court noted the situation showed the Sarangani’s and Dibaratun's manifest partiality, or the clear, notorious or plain inclination or predilection to favor Iftizah Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures,"
The court found Sarangani guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of Sec. 3 of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and sentenced him to up to seven years for each of the 16 counts in the cases.
He was also sentenced to perpetual disqualification from public office.
The court noted that had the cases not been dismissed as to Dibaratun by reason of her death, "she would have (also) been convicted of the said offenses."
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former official of the defunct Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to up to 112 years imprisonment for 16 counts of corruption filed against him for irregularities in the procurement of office supplies in 2010.
Gunmen killed on Friday, February 7, an official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front employed as a municipal chief of the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office.
Johnson Endil was washing his sports utility vehicle parked outside of their residential yard in Sitio Amanah in Barangay Inug-ug in Pikit, Cotabato when two men approached him from behind, opened fire and immediately scampered away.
Investigators in the Pikit Municipal Police Station and officials of the Cotabato Provincial Police Office told reporters on Saturday, February 8, that Endil was declared dead on arrival in a hospital where he was brought by emergency responders for treatment.
Endil was the MILF’s secretary for the Ligawasan Area, covering Moro communities around Central Mindanao's 220,000-hectare Ligasawan Delta,
He was also the municipal chief for Pikit of the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office, an agency under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Pikit is in Cotabato province in Region 12, but has more than 20 barangays that are part of BARMM's core territory.
BARMM Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin Pangandaman Tago and directors of different agencies under him have condemned the atrocity and urged witnesses to help the police identify the people behind it.
“We are saddened by the death of a co-worker in the Bangsamoro government. We are wishing for an immediate resolution of the incident,” Tago said in a text message to reporters on Saturday afternoon.
Senior MILF officials occupying high positions in different BARMM ministries told reporters that Endil was partly instrumental in resolving in recent years many deadly clan wars in Pikit and in nearby towns where the front has enclaves now recognized as peace zones by the national government.
Gunmen killed on Friday, February 7, an official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front employed as a municipal chief of the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office.
The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) on Monday relieved three HPG personnel for unauthorized use of the EDSA busway and allegedly ordered the traffic enforcers to stop the operations.
PNP-HPG spokesperson Lt. Nadame Malang confirmed this in a media phone interview but withheld the HPG personnel’s identity and ranks pending the results of the ongoing investigation and the possible filing of administrative charges.
In an earlier media interview at Camp Crame, Malang said HPG director Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta had ordered a thorough investigation on the incident.
“The HPG leadership under director Brig. Gen. Eleazar Mata that he will not tolerate this kind of incident,” he said.
In a separate statement, the PNP-HPG clarified that PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil had nothing to do with the incident.
“It is imperative to clarify that the name of PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil has been unjustly associated with this matter,” the PNP-HPG statement read.
In a viral video, a PNP-HPG personnel was heard claiming that the PNP chief requested that the operations be suspended because it started to create traffic.
The PNP-HPG said the police has no intention of undermining the Department of Transportation’s Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation’s (SAICT) mandate or dictating its operatives' actions.
“The PNP-HPG remains firmly committed to upholding the highest standards in the performance of its duties and responsibilities. This incident is both unfortunate and isolated, and we are implementing stringent measures to ensure that such occurrences do not happen again in the future,” it said.
“The PNP-HPG will not tolerate any actions that compromise the integrity of our institution or its leadership.”
The incident happened at around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 7 along the Ortigas Northbound Flyover, EDSA Busway, according to the SAICT report.
The SAICT report said two vehicles and two police escorts riding in two HPG motorcycles have been flagged down for violating the rule on the use of EDSA busway.
It added a police officer “reacted aggressively and verbally confronted” the SAICT enforcer during the issuance of the ticket.
The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group on Monday relieved three HPG personnel for unauthorized use of the EDSA busway and allegedly ordered the traffic enforcers to stop the operations.
Two active police officers in Toledo City, Cebu are now facing murder charges over the death of a mendicant or locally known as libud-suroy.
The Central Visayas office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI-7) on Feb. 5 filed criminal and administrative cases against Patrolman Raymond Manipis and Police Master Sergeant Sepjanrey Roda.
Manipis and Roda were accused of beating to death a 59-year-old mendicant identified as Eliseo Rosento.
Rosento died last August 2024, with the cause of death initially reported as ‘fell on the pavement.’
However, the victim’s sister, Cristita Mahinay, doubted the report after discovering suspicious bruises on his body and wounds on his head, said lawyer Renan Oliva, NBI-7 director, during a press conference on Feb. 11.
This prompted Mahinay to file a complaint, which led the agency to conduct deeper investigation into Rosento’s death.
Both Manipis and Roda denied the accusations hurled against them, Oliva added.
Last November, agents managed to exhume the body and do an autopsy, with the coroner indicating that Rosento died due to traumatic head injury.
Further investigations revealed that on August 26, 2024, several witnesses spotted Manipis and Roda assaulting Rosento multiple times in Toledo City Catholic Cemetery.
Another set of witnesses also told investigators that they saw the same two police officers beating the victim another time near a gasoline station in Brgy. Poblacion on that same day.
As to the motive behind the attack, however, NBI-7 continue to conduct investigation into the case.
“We already coordinated with the (accused) policemen but they denied all the evidence presented against them,” said Oliva.
In the meantime, the NBI-7 official said they had already coordinated with the Police Regional Office here (PRO-7) to assure that the relationship between the two government bureaus remain intact despite this development.
“We believe this is just an isolated case — isolated acts,” said Oliva in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Two active police officers in Toledo City, Cebu are now facing murder charges over the death of a mendicant or locally known as libud-suroy.
Nine members of the Taguig Police were relieved from their duties after a viral video showed cops entering a home, shoving a woman, and trying to arrest a young man.
The post originally made by a certain Cloe Amore on Facebook that became viral.
In one CCTV footage dated Feb. 9, the Taguig cops entered the home in Barangay Napindan and tried to apprehend a young man. One police officer is seen showing the mother a document. He then got her cell phone and shoved her. He also got the cell phone of a young woman.
The Southern Police District (SPD), which supervises the Taguig Police, issued a statement on Feb. 11.
“The Taguig City Police Station is conducting a thorough and impartial investigation following serious allegations raised in a viral Facebook post by Cloe Amore,” the SPD said.
Col. Joey Goforth is the chief of Taguig Police.
It added, “The post contains video footage and accusations of unauthorized searches, damage to property, and mistreatment of residents during a police operation in Brgy. Napindan, Taguig City.”
According to the SPD, Brig. Gen. Manuel Abrugena “condemns any form of misconduct and swiftly acted to ensure a fair investigation.”
“Nine police officers assigned to Sub-Station 5, including their commander, have been immediately relieved from their duties and reassigned to the Admin Holding Section of Taguig CPS while the investigation is underway,” it said.
The SPD added, “Additionally, the officers involved will undergo a pre-charge investigation. We urge witnesses or anyone with relevant information to step forward and cooperate with the investigation. The Southern Police District assures the public that due process will be strictly followed, and if warranted, appropriate disciplinary actions will be instituted.”
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) also issued a statement, saying, “The NCRPO will be merciless against erring police personnel who will be proven to have committed human rights abuses and other irregularities in the recent incident in Taguig City, going viral in social media.”
“We reiterate: NCRPO does not and will not tolerate any misconduct or abuse of power by any member of the police force. Strict adherence to the police procedures and observance of the rule of law are non-negotiable and any transgression will be dealt with severely,” it said.
It added. “A comprehensive but swift investigation is ongoing to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the case, identify police personnel who abused their authority, police procedures violated and to institute more effective measures to avoid these kind of incidents in the future.”
“Those who abused their authority and committed violations of the Police Operational Procedures will be dismissed from the service, demoted or suspended, depending on the result of the investigation, strictly observing due process of law for all parties involved,” it said.
The NCRPO said criminal cases will be filed.
“The firearms of the personnel involved in the operations were also deposited to their unit assignments. There is no room for abuses in NCRPO and we will ensure that justice will be served. NCRPO assures the public of our strong and uncompromising adherence to the rule of law, transparency and professionalism,” the NCRPO said.
Nine members of the Taguig Police were relieved from their duties after a viral video showed cops entering a home, shoving a woman, and trying to arrest a young man.
Graft and other criminal complaints were filed against House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other lawmakers before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday for the alleged P241 billion worth of “insertions” in the 2025 national budget.
Former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and Virgilio Garcia, along with PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Atty. Jimmy Bondoc — allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte — led the filing of 12 counts of falsification of legislative documents and 12 counts of graft against Romualdez, and the following lawmakers:
- House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe
- Former House appropriations committee chairperson and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co
- Acting appropriations committee chair Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo
Two others were referred to as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” in the complaint sheet. They also face the same complaints for alleged violation of Article 170 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In explaining the grounds of the complaints, Topacio said the alleged “insertions” in the national budget reportedly occurred 12 times based on the bicameral report.
He further said that they based the complaints on the bicameral report.
“Well, that’s why it’s 12 counts because they filled in the blanks 12 times. The one that was approved by bicam has zero on it. It should be zero when it comes to the president, it can’t be changed unless there’s a typographical error, mistake in spelling, formatting or wrong grammar,” he said in Filipino.
“You can’t put zero and make it P90 billion or P80 billion, even P10,000 or P1. It’s just zero. So we counted 12 times of such insertion,” he added.In response, Dalipe reiterated that the approval of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) “is not an act of wrongdoing but a constitutional duty of Congress.”
“The national budget is the lifeblood of government operations, ensuring the delivery of essential services and the implementation of vital projects for the Filipino people. It is important to emphasize that the passage of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is not solely the action of the House of Representatives,” he said in a statement.
“It undergoes thorough deliberations and scrutiny by Congress before it is transmitted to the President for final approval. This process adheres to the checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution, ensuring transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility,” he added.
Dalipe likewise questioned the timing of the complaints, which he said raises suspicions that “they are merely retaliatory tactics aimed at deflecting attention from the real issue: the proper and lawful use of taxpayer money.”
“More telling is the involvement of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as one of the complainants. As a sitting member of the House during the deliberations of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill, he had every opportunity to raise objections, question allocations, and point out any supposed infirmities during plenary discussions,” he pointed out.
“Yet, he did not. His silence during the legislative process, and his sudden emergence as a complainant, only reinforces the fact that these accusations are not grounded on actual violations but are politically motivated attacks meant to discredit the House leadership,” he added.
Two weeks ago, Quimbo reiterated that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is legal, as the allocations on the then-proposed budget were already decided by the bicameral conference committee members before the House of Representatives and the Senate ratified the report.
She said technical staffers of the House and Senate can make changes as long as they are ministerial, noting that these are merely “calculator activity.”
On January 27, former Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition, asking the Supreme Court to declare Republic Act No. 12116, or the GAA of 2025, as “unconstitutional.”
The issue started after Duterte and Ungab, who was a former appropriations panel head, raised concerns about blank items in the 2025 budget.
Graft and other criminal complaints were filed against House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other lawmakers before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday for the alleged P241 billion worth of “insertions” in the 2025 national budget.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday filed grave threats and inciting to sedition charges against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In a press briefing, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the cases were filed in connection with Duterte’s previous remarks that she hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if the supposed assassination plot against her were to succeed.
Santiago said the recommendation for the filing of the case came after a thorough evaluation, even as Duterte skipped two invitations from the NBI to attend the investigation in November and December last year.
He said it will be up to the vice president to opt to answer the charges before the prosecutors who will decide whether to file cases before the courts.
“Depende po sa prosecutor’s office, kung gusto niya magpunta, kung hindi, nasa kanya po yun (It depends on the proceedings at the prosecutor’s office, whether she wants to go or not will be up to her),” Santiago said.
“All cases filed by law enforcement officers shall be filed before the prosecutor’s office, and the prosecutor’s office shall conduct a preliminary investigation whether to file or not. They may decide to summon VP Sara or witnesses."
The NBI chief said this is in line with a recent directive requiring prosecutors to pursue only charges that have a reasonable degree of likelihood to result in conviction.
Santiago also admitted that they have yet to identify the supposed assassin.
Meanwhile, Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon said the National Prosecution Service would be evaluating the complaint.
“Pending the results of the evaluation, we cannot say anything more for now in order not to preempt the results and prejudice the rights of any party,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said under Department Circular No. 20, the investigating prosecutors must determine whether based on the evidence, there is a prima facie case with reasonable certainty of conviction.
“A prima facie case is established by such evidence which if left uncontroverted, shall be sufficient to establish all the elements of the crime. The process will undergo case build up as needed to assure that there is sufficient evidence and that the respondent is not unduly haled to court,” the DOJ said in a statement.
It said the process involves requiring the respondent to submit a counter-affidavit, reviewing the evidence from both parties, and assessing whether the case meets the higher threshold of evidence for filing in court, or whether the case should be dismissed for lack of evidence.
“The crime of Grave Threats penalizes statements that create real and imminent danger to specific persons, regardless of whether actual harm occurs. The Supreme Court has ruled that what matters is the intent behind the words -- whether they were meant to convey a serious threat or instill fear. It is not necessary that the recipient actually feels intimidated or takes the words seriously; what is crucial is that the statement was made with the purpose of creating intimidation or fear. This is what the prosecutors will evaluate based on the evidence presented,” the DOJ explained.
On the other hand, the DOJ said the crime of inciting to sedition penalizes statements that pose a real and imminent threat to public order, regardless of whether actual unrest occurs.
“While freedom of speech is protected, the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that it does not extend to speech that incites violence, rebellion, or disorder. The law does not require that an unlawful act be carried out -- only that the statement was made with the intent to stir public unrest or disrupt stability. This is what the prosecutors will evaluate based on the evidence presented.”
The DOJ assured that it remains committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that due process is strictly followed in all legal proceedings.
The National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday filed grave threats and inciting to sedition charges against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Department of Justice.
A gubernatorial candidate in the province of Guimaras was arrested for allegedly name-dropping First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos when she demanded a huge sum of money from a local businessman in exchange for fast approval of an application for the opening of an emission testing center.
Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said the arrested suspect, whom he only identified as Maggie, even claimed to be a first cousin of the First Lady to the victim.
Torre said the entrapment operation conducted at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Barangay Sabang in Sibunag town also resulted in the arrest of two members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who were found to be acting as security escort of the gubernatorial candidate.
Based on the investigation, Maggie claimed to the victim that she could secure fast approval of applications for government projects due to her connection to the First lady.
When the victim said that he is interested in opening a Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) emission testing, Maggie said she could secure fast approval at the Department of Transportation if he would pay her P800,000.
On Sept. 26, Torre said the complainant paid P400,000 to the suspect to secure the emission testing project.
“However, after delivering the money, the respondent failed to fulfill her promise and despite repeated personal requests through mutual friends, the respondent failed and refused to return the money or show proof of payments,” said Torre.
Last week, Torre said Maggie contacted the complainant again and told him that he should pay her the balance of P400,000 to secure the approval.
The victim then sought the assistance of the CIDG after verification from the DOTr.
During the entrapment, Torre said Maggie and another companion were arrested after receiving the marked money. The two PCG personnel were also collared and yielded two handguns.
Torre said all the four arrested suspects were already charged at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Guimaras.
A gubernatorial candidate and her two Philippine Coast Guard security escorts have been arrested for swindling.
