It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
A 29-year-old special weapons and tactics member assigned at the Northern Police District- National Capital Region (NPD-NCRPO) and his brother were arrested in a robbery incident here on Friday.
In a press conference, Pangasinan Police Provincial Office director Col. Jeff Fanged identified the suspect as Cpl. Jhomel Dassil Blas and Jeric Dassil Blas, 27, security guard, both residents of Baggao, Cagayan.
"The suspects were arrested by the San Carlos Police Station personnel after a five-hour manhunt operation. They were eager to capture the suspects especially that one of them is a policeman," he said.
The police officer was arrested in a nearby barangay and recovered from him two pieces of gas masks and two pieces of pepper spray, and assorted civilian clothes, among others while the younger brother was later on nabbed at the public market of the city, he added.
Fanged said law enforcers were able to recover from the getaway vehicle one Glock 17, which was the issued firearm to the police suspect, as well as assorted ammunition.
There were two units of long firearms that were declared missing by the NPD-NCRPO, he said.
Fanged said the suspects robbed the mother of the policeman's girlfriend, a 64-year-old businesswoman, in her residence at Barangay Talang, this city.
"They sprayed her with pepper spray while she was about to enter her house and took her money and ran off," he said.
Fanged said the suspects will be facing different charges such as robbery, violation 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and the violation for unauthorized use of plate number.
He said the police officer will also face administrative case for grave misconduct with the possibility of dismissal in service.
He vowed that they will make the case airtight to ensure justice will be served.
A cop and his brother have been arrested for robbery.
A barangay chairman in Zarraga town, Iloilo province was arrested in a buy-bust operation on Friday, July 14.
Police identified the suspect as Bernard Galache, 55, chairman of Barangay Inagdangan Centro.
Galache was arrested after he sold suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer.
Suspect yielded around 60 grams of shabu worth P81,600.
Galache was under surveillance for over a month before he was arrested.
Police said the first-term barangay captain was selling shabu not only in Zarraga but also neighboring towns. The suspect reportedly gets his supply here.
Galache faces charges for violating Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
A barangay chairman has been busted for drugs.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Department of Tourism (DOT) over P6.1 million worth of "irregular, unnecessary and excessive" expenditures in 2022.
In its audit report, the COA said these disbursements — amounting to P6,159,038.16 in total — contravened existing government rules and regulations or deviated from standard procedures on disbursements as defined in COA Circular No. 2012- 003 dated October 29, 2012, thus "affecting the validity and propriety of the expenditures."
"In the post audit of the DOT OSEC (Office of the Secretary) and ROs financial transactions, disbursements totaling P6,159,038.16 were considered not adhering to pertinent laws, rules and regulations, or are incurred without restraint, judiciousness and economy," the COA said.
"The foregoing disbursements amounting to P6,159,038.16 could be considered as irregular, unnecessary, and excessive expenditures under the ambit of COA Circular No. 2012-003 dated October 29, 2012," the state auditors said.
"We recommended that the DOT OSEC and ROs demand full refund of the amounts considered as irregular, unnecessary, and excessive in nature," they added.
The COA has tagged the DOT for unnecessary expenses.
A member of the Northern Police District-Special Weapons and Tactics (NPD-SWAT) team was arrested on Thursday, July 13, in Barangay Talang here for allegedly robbing his future mother-in-law of P156,000 to pay for his wedding with the businesswoman’s daughter.
The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office identified the suspect as Police Corporal Jhomel Dassil Blas, 29, of Barangay Hacienda Intal, Baggao, Cagayan.
Initial investigation said the victim, Maria Carino, 64, was walking on her way home when Blas, accompanied by his brother Jerick, 27, a security guard, appeared and forcibly grabbed the P156,000 in sales from her agricultural supply store and escaped on board a getaway vehicle.
Carino told police in a follow-up investigation that she recognized one of the suspects as Jhomel, the boyfriend of her daughter.
The victim also told police that the getaway vehicle was a black sedan usually used by Jhomel when he visits them.
Police launched a hot-pursuit operation that resulted in the apprehension of Jhomel in Sitio Dopong, Barangay Baldog, this city.
Seized from his possession were a sack containing assorted clothes, flood boots, android cellphones, sling bag, gas mask, pepper spray, and the key of the getaway vehicle.
The getaway vehicle was recovered parked near the house of the victim adjacent to a bridge in Barangay Talang. Found in the vehicle were guns and bullets, Philippine National Police ID, Landbank ATM, bandolier, black SWAT fatigue and other uniforms, and license plates ABR-9224.
Police continued the follow-up operation and arrested Jeric in Barangay Roxas Boulevard here. Suspect yielded several ID cards.
Jhomel pinpointed where they hid the money. This was recovered intact near area where the getaway vehicle was recovered.
Suspects and pieces of evidence are now under the custody of San Carlos City police station for proper disposition.
The Pangasinan PPO vowed to uphold the law even if a police officer is involved.
“The Pangasinan PPO will never condone and tolerate any wrongdoings of fellow policemen, and we will be more aggressive in making sure they will face the full force of the law,” Police Col. Jeff Fanged, Pangasinan police chief, said.
“We will strive to cleanse our own ranks of undeserving personnel in support of the chief PNP's five-focus agenda, one of which is integrity enhancement focusing on the internal cleansing program of the entire organization."
Police said lack of money for the wedding prompted Jhonel to rob Carino.
A cop robbed his future mother in law to pay for his wedding.
The Philippine National Police ordered the relief of two cops in Leyte following the harassment of local journalists covering a land dispute the officers were involved in.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Ricky Reli, officer-in-charge of the Leyte police, relieved Police Staff Sergeant Rhea May Baleos and her husband Police Staff Sergeant Ver Baleos of their duties.
They were also ordered to turn in their issued firearms.
The two cops from the Pastrana Municipal Police Station and Sta Fe Municipal Police Station allegedly harassed San Juanico TV reporters Lito Bagunas, Noel Sianos and Ted Tomas while interviewing farmers in Barangay Jones on Friday.
According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, PSSg Rhea Baleos grabbed Sianosa’s cellphone while he was taking videos, and pushed him away.
A few minutes later, the three journalists heard gunshots. Tomas said he saw cops in uniform firing the shots.
Two PNP officers have been relieved from duty for harassing journalists.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) had wasted P28.771 million when it failed to implement the Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit Line 1 Project (MMBRTP), the Commission on Audit (COA) said in its 2022 report.
MMBRTP Line 1 was planned as an 11.4-kilometer rapid transit lane from PhilCoa in Quezon City to the Manila City hall. It would have 17 stations, one terminal, and 140 buses in operation.
The total project cost was projected at P5.46 billion of which P4.61 billion would come from loan proceeds and P844 million from the government.
In 2017, the Philippine government, through the Department of Finance (DOF), entered into loan agreements (LAs) with the World Bank (WB) through International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and Clean Technology Fund (CTF) for the implementation of the MMBRTP in the aggregate amount of US$64,600,000.
In its report, COA said that DOTr's lack of budget allocation and weak capacity as the implementing agency were the reasons for the cancellation of the loan agreements.
It said that when its audit team reviewed the appropriations and allotment of the MMBRTP during the current (2022) and previous years, it was found that the project had received allotments in the aggregate amount of P839,425,000 for 2016 to 2018, of which only P9,189,574 was obligated and disbursed. This resulted in the reversion to the national treasury of the unutilized balance of P830,235,426.
Despite the inefficiencies in budget management, the COA said that the Philippine government still entered into the loan agreements, which entailed management of a far more substantial amount of funds.
"It (audit team) was informed that the change in administration in 2016 attributed to the non-utilization of allotments as several urban transport projects agreed/approved by the previous administration were put on hold to reassess their priority," the COA said.
"It was further informed that aside from the lack of funding from 2019 to 2022, the procurement of key consultants was also affected by the transfer of procurement from the DOTr Special Bids and Awards Committee to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and by the occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic," it also said.
Thus, it noted that the DOTr was not able to procure any contracts related to the MMBRTP and was not able to submit any withdrawal application from the loans.
It added that while the DOTr reached out to the WB in 2021 on restructuring and additional financing, WB said that an extension could not be justified due to lack of any implementation progress made on the project.
"WB cited the weak capacity of the implementing agency, the inefficiency of procurement management, lack of general government budget allocation and the Covid-19 as the reasons that contributed to the poor performance of the project," it pointed out in its report.
Thus, in the end, both the WB and the Philippine government agreed to cancel the full undisbursed balance for the IBRD and CTF loans amounting to a total of US$64,498,250. The cancellation became effective on June 21, 2022.
COA said the only disbursement out of the loan proceeds was the front-end fee of US$101,750 or P5,351,134.25, which was paid in March 2019.
The non-availment of the loans resulted in payments of commitment fees totaling P23,419,960.76 from 2019 to 2022. All in all, the government shelled out P28,771,095.01 for a project that did not materialize, it said.
"The non-implementation of the MMBRTP within the original implementation period resulted in the cancellation of the loans and the wastage of government funds totaling P28,771,095.01 representing front-end and commitment fees," it stressed.
COA said it has not been informed by the DOTr of the plans for MMBRTP. It then recommended that DOTs should submit to the audit commission any updated or future plan.
At the same time, COA reminded DOTr to ensure that all foreign-funded projects are implemented within the loan validity to avoid loan cancellation and wastage of government funds.
The DOTr wasted millions because of non-implemented projects.
The Supreme Court has ordered the re-arrest of former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes and the continuation of his trial for the 2011 murder of broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega, a development that the family said helps restore their faith in the justice system.
In a resolution in late March that was made public over the weekend, the Supreme Court said Reyes failed to show proof that the Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court abused its jurisdiction in ordering that his trial continue.
"Petitioner's disagreement with the conclusions reached by the trial court, without more, is not sufficient to warrant the issuance of the extraordinary writ of certiorari," the Supreme Court said.
"Such writ will issue only to correct errors of jurisdiction, not errors in the findings or conclusions of the lower court," it also said.
The Court of Appeals dismissed the charges against Reyes in 2018 but reversed its decision in 2019 and issued another warrant for his arrest. Convicted of graft in 2017, Reyes was supposed to remain in government custody despite the CA's initial 2018 decision to drop the charges.
The Supreme Court said the CA and the RTC found that there was enough evidence, including statements identifiying Reyes as the alleged mastermind in the shooting of Ortega, to find probable cause.
It said that "this particular stage of the criminal proceeding against petitioner requires neither absolute nor moral certainty; opinion and reasonable belief is already sufficient" and that questions on the evidence would be best threshed out in trial.
The SC has directed Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court Branch 52 to "cause the immediate re-arrest and detention" of Reyes and to continue with the criminal proceedings against him over the killing of Ortega.
Reyes ran for governor of Palawan in the 2022 elections, lost and ruled in January 2023 to have been disqualified from running in the first place for being "a fugitive from justice."
Ortega, an environmentalist and broadcaster, had been a vocal critic of mining projects and of alleged corruption in the province. He had just finished his program on DWAR Palawan on January 24, 2011 when he was shot in a thrift store in Puerto Princesa's Barangay San Pedro.
The former governor of Palawan has been ordered re-arrested for murder.
A barangay councilor in Sibonga town, southern Cebu died in a road accident that happened along the Sibonga-Dumanjug road on Saturday, July 15.
The victim was identified as Wilson Ortiz Antiquina, 38.
According to Police Staff Sergeant Roland Napire of the Sibonga Police Station, Antiquina was not wearing a helmet when the accident happened.
Police Captain Fort Antony Valdez, chief of the Sibonga Police Station, described Antiquina as a councilor of Barangay Dugoan, Sibonga town.
According to Valdez, Antiquia was driving his motorcycle when he accidentally hit the road barrier that was placed on an unfinished road project along the Sibonga-Dumanjug road around 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Due to the impact, Antiquina was thrown away from his motorcycle and landed with his head hitting the pavement hard. This caused severe injuries to the victim’s head.
Following Antiquina’s death, Napire is urging motorcycle riders to always prioritize their safety by wearing motorcycle helmets.
(What I can advice to the motorcycle riders is that they should be aware of their surroundings when they travel and to always wear a helmet. And then, don’t drive too fast.)
A barangay councilor who ignored the helmet law died in a motorcycle crash.
Police nabbed a 25-year-old Sangguniang Kabataan kagawad (councilor) wanted for rape and lascivious conduct in Batangas in Barangay Poblacion, Carles, Iloilo on Monday, July 17.
Batangas police chief Police Col. Samson Belmonte, in his report to Police Regional Office 4-A Director Police Brig. Gen. Carlito Gaces, identified the suspect as Jerald Herradura, alias “Jeboy,” a resident of Sitio Bagacay Dako, an island village in Barangcalan, Carles.
The suspect was arrested through a warrant issued on November 15, 2022 by the Regional Trial Court Branch 83, Tanauan City, for two counts of rape, with no bail recommended, and lascivious conduct with a bail of P200,000.
A barnagay councilor has been arrested for rape
A barangay councilor from San Fernando town, southern Cebu was among those arrested in a drug bust last Wednesday, July 19.
The San Fernando Police Station confirmed that they arrested two men during a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Pitalo around 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
The suspects were identified as Dennis Sarucam Caballero and Isabelo Umpad Diolan, the latter being a barangay councilor of Brgy. Sangat, also in San Fernando.
Based on San Fernando Police’s report, enforcers, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), initially targeted Caballero.
Caballero was tagged as a street-level drug peddler. But when enforcers arrived at the scene in Brgy. Pitalo to carry out the buy-bust, they saw him with Diolan.
Police seized a total of five, small rectangular, heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected as “shabu” from Caballero.
They also confiscated two similar sachets, weighing 0.48 grams and with a street value of P3,264 from Diolan.
Both Caballero and Diolan will be facing charges for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act. 9165).
A barangay councilor has been arrested on drug charges.
A police officer is facing criminal charges for physical injuries in relation to violation of Republic Act 7610 or Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act after he was accused of injuring two minors over a misunderstanding here last week.
The complaint was filed against Police Staff Sgt. Harry Gonzaga before the City Prosecutor’s Office here on Monday, July 17, according to Police Capt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental police.
The case stemmed from a misunderstanding between Gonzaga and two boys aged 12 and 13 in Barangay 30 here on July 10.
Based on police investigation, the minors were playing when a stone hit Gonzaga’s car that was parked in the area.
Gonzaga got mad and hurt the two minors as alleged by the victims when they reported the incident to Police Station 6.
A video showing a man believed to be Gonzaga hurting two kids went viral on social media. The incident even reached Sen. Raffy Tulfo when the kids’ guardians reported it through the senator’s online and radio program.
The case was initially handled by the barangay chairman in an attempt to settle the dispute of both parties on the barangay level but the guardians were determined to press charges against the 40-year-old cop.
Catalogo said that Gonzaga has been relieved from the 1st Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company based in Silay City because he is currently on in-house schooling for the public safety juniorship course at the satellite office of Regional Training Center (RTC)-6 in Murcia, Negros Occidental.
He is now under the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU)-6 in Iloilo City, he added.
A cop is facing charges for hurting two minors after they threw a rock at his car.
Two police officers from Western Visayas tested positive for drugs.
One of them is assigned to Camp Delgado, the Police Regional Office-6 headquarters here and the other is deployed to Negros Occidental.
The surprise drug test among policemen and personnel conducted earlier this month is one of the priorities of Police Brig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor, PRO-6 director, since assuming the post last May.
PRO-6 did not release the names of the two policemen but confirmed that they are non-commissioned police officers.
“I am sad that these two cops are positive (for drug use) but this serves as a stern warning,” said Villaflor.
Villaflor said he does not tolerate any police involvement in either illegal drug use or illegal drug trade.
In June, Villaflor ordered 5,000 drug kits for random testing of PRO-6 personnel.
Police Major Mary Grace Borio, PRO-6 spokesperson, said the two policemen will undergo administrative proceedings.
Two cops have tested positive for drugs.
Two police officers were found dead inside the Narvacan Municipal Police Station in this province on Thursday, July 20.
The fatalities were identified as Police Corporal Jeric Ace Abaoag and Police Patrolman Joe Mendoza.
Initial investigation said gunshots were heard moments after they went up to the third floor of the police station with their belongings.
Colleagues found their bodies which bore bullets wounds.
Police Col. Jugith del Prado, Ilocos Sur police director, said Mendoza was reportedly feeling stressed before the incident.
Del Prado theorized that Mendoza shot Abaoag before killing himself using a caliber 9mm pistol.
Two cops are dead in an apparent murder-suicide.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for its "irregular expenditures" on smartphones, shirts, jackets, and even fresh flowers.
In its 2022 audit report, COA tagged CHED Davao Region's spending of P275,000 for 5 iPhone and Samsung S22 Ultra smartphone units as "irregular, unnecessary and excessive," as these were not in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
CHED Davao, however, told the audit team that the smartphones were "reasonably priced," given their quality.
“Furthermore, they averred that the purchase of these mobile phones did not in any way hinder the budget of the agency and that the purchase was made in good faith and without prejudice to existing laws and regulations,” the CHED management told the audit team.
The commission also said that it would avoid future purchases that may be labeled and attributed as unnecessary expenditures.
State auditors also noted CHED Central Luzon's spending of P1.105 million for shirts and jackets, which they deemed "unnecessary" and a waste of government funds.
But the regional CHED office responded that its procurement of shirts, jackets, tote bags, and pens were made for different activities as requested by the commission's central office.
“It may be mentioned that the activities were funded from different sources and downloaded to this office on various dates,” the CHED Central Luzon management told the audit team.
Meanwhile, COA also took note of CHED Cordillera regional office buying P16,000 worth of flowers, which were purchased by a private individual for a business pitching competition and graduation ceremony. The amount was later reimbursed by the office.
In response, the regional office told state auditors that the university that hosted the event was unable to provide decorative plants, stressing that the government did not suffer from any losses from the purchase of the said flowers.
“To require refund of the amount may unjustly enrich the government at the expense of these lowly paid employees,” CHED's Cordillera office said.
But the auditors maintained that the transaction did not pass through regular procurement and was still considered irregular.
The CHED has been flagged for several irregular expenses.
