It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced five former ranking officials of the Philippine National Police to up to 40 years of imprisonment for graft in connection with the fictitious or “ghost” repair and procurement of spare parts for the PNP’s armored vehicles from 2007 to 2008.
In a 265-page decision promulgated on Dec. 11, 2025 but uploaded on the Sandiganbayan website only on Tuesday, the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division found five former officials of the PNP Logistics Support Service-Bids and Awards Committee (LSS BAC) guilty of four counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Sentenced to six up to ten years of imprisonment for each count of the offense or a total of 24 to 40 years were:
former LSS BAC chairman Col. Emmanuel Ojeda; former vice-chairman Col. Reuel Leverne Labrado; former assistant chief for Administrative and Resources Management Division (ARMD) and LSS purchasing officer Lt. Col. Josefina Dumanew; and LSS BAC members Maj. Analee Forro and MSgt. Victor Puddao.
Meanwhile, found guilty of two counts each of graft were former LSS inspection officer Lt. Col. Warlito Tubon and non-uniformed personnel (NUP) supply accountable officer Eulito Fuentes.
Also found guilty of one count each of graft were former LSS BAC member Lt. Col. Henry Duque and former property inspector for the Directorate for Comptrollership NUP Alex Barrameda.
They were likewise sentenced to six up to ten years of imprisonment for each count of the offense.
All of those convicted were also perpetually disqualified from holding public office and to indemnify the government a total of P83.897 million in civil liability.
The court, on the other hand, acquitted former PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr., former Directorate for Comptrollership Management Division acting chief Lt. Col. Rainier Espina, former PNP Accounting Division chief Antonio Retrato and several private suppliers of graft and malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents “for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”
Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2013, the cases stemmed from the allegedly anomalous transactions amounting to P397.58 million relating to the supposed repair and maintenance of 28 units of V-150 light armored vehicles of the PNP in 2007 to 2008.
The ombudsman said the accused PNP officials made it appear that they purchased spare parts, engines, and transmission assemblies for the repair and maintenance of the vehicles when in fact there was no actual purchase nor delivery of the items.
Instead, the accused PNP officials, in collusion with the suppliers, falsified supporting documents such as the invitation to bid, minutes of bidding, recommendation of award, purchase order, delivery receipts as well as certifications of inspection and acceptance, the court noted.
Meanwhile, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) is investigating retired Brig. Gen. Jezebel Imelda Medina, former director of the PNP Health Service for possible corruption – which surfaced as a result of other issues being linked to her.
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced five former ranking officials of the Philippine National Police to up to 40 years of imprisonment for graft in connection with the fictitious or “ghost” repair and procurement of spare parts for the PNP’s armored vehicles from 2007 to 2008.
Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete on Friday ordered the immediate relief of a senior officer who allegedly withdrew his "personal support" for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through a social media post.
"By the direction of Commanding General, PA, Col. (Audie) Mongao was immediately relieved from his post and put into A/U (attached/unassigned) status to give way for a thorough investigation by Training Command, PA," Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a message to reporters.
Mongao reportedly withdrew his "personal support" for President Marcos "effective Jan. 9". He did not give a specific reason for action but said the "Filipino people is worth fighting for."
In a Facebook post, Training Command head Maj. Gen. Michael Logico confirmed that Mongao is assigned to his unit and is currently on "New Year's Break status."
"My command has exerted all efforts to reach out to him but has so far been unsuccessful. Effective last night, I have relieved him from his post as Commander Training Support Group and is now placed (in) the attached/unassigned Office of the Commander Training Command. Investigation is underway to determine possible administrative and legal charges that may be imposed upon him in relation to his online statement," he added.
Despite this, Logico said they are still reaching out to Mongao so they can extend emotional support.
"He is still my responsibility. The PA remains professional and steadfast behind our mandate, loyal to the Constitution and the chain of command," he added.
Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete on Friday ordered the immediate relief of a senior officer who allegedly withdrew his "personal support" for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through a social media post.
loilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Col. Kim Legada was relieved of his post effective Thursday due to lapses in the conduct of investigation and assessment related to the death of Dueñas, Iloilo Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan.
Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) deputy regional director for operations, Col. Roland Bulalacao, temporarily assumed as officer-in-charge, while Legada has been recalled to the regional headquarters, PRO-6 Regional Director Brig. Gen. Josefino Ligan announced in a press conference on Friday.
Also relieved from post and reassigned to the regional headquarters was ICPO Station 2 commander, Capt. Jeffrey Delgado.
"As a matter of procedure, because we saw that there were lapses indeed, it is incumbent upon me to replace and relieve the city director and the station commander, pending investigation," Ligan said.
He said the fact that there was an "order" for the scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) not to proceed to the place of the incident is already a lapse in the procedures.
In every crime scene, especially a shooting incident, Ligan emphasized that there has to be a SOCO team to process the crime scene.
“Yet, on that day, there was no processing,” he noted.
"As to the duration, we don't know yet. Right now, we have to determine the responsibility in the withdrawal, cancellation, or the holding off of the SOCO," he added.
On Wednesday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla visited the wake of Lamasan and conducted a case conference with law enforcement officers.
In a press conference, he said the death of the local official was considered due to accidental firing, based on their recreation of the scene, investigation, financial transaction, and testimonies from the family.
During the conference, Remulla said the local police committed a mistake because they waited for the official to die before the investigation was conducted.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now leading the Special Investigation Task Group.
Lamasan died a day after undergoing an operation at the Iloilo St. Paul's Hospital, where she was rushed following the accidental firing incident on Dec. 30.
She was laid to rest on Wednesday.
loilo City Police Offic director Col. Kim Legada was relieved of his post effective Thursday due to lapses in the conduct of investigation and assessment related to the death of Dueñas, Iloilo Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan.
A 77-year-old man was hacked to death by a former soldier in Barangay Mala Weste, Buguey, Cagayan on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4.
Police identified the victim as Dencio.
Investigation said the suspect Juan allegedly hacked the victim using an approximately 18-inch bolo multiple times in the head and body until he collapsed.
A concerned citizen reported the incident to the Buguey Police Station. Responding police officers found the body of the victim.
The suspect fled on a motorcycle and was arrested during a follow-up operation in his residence.
Police recovered the bolo used in the attack.
The suspect was a soldier who went Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) and has a warrant of arrest for rape case which was served when he was apprehended.
He is detained at the Buguey Police Station and facing a murder charge. Follow-up investigation is ongoing.
A 77-year-old man was hacked to death by a former soldier.
A barangay captain in Mandaue City found himself in hot water after he was caught driving a motorcycle without a helmet in a busy street.
The Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas (LTO-7) has issued a show-cause order against Basak Barangay Captain Felipe Diano, who was also seen in a viral video disregarding a traffic light.
LTO-7 chief Glen Galario also ordered the suspension of Diano’s driver’s license for 90 days.
The issue stemmed from a video that has gone viral on social media showing Diano driving a motorcycle on a busy street in Mandaue without a helmet on Jan. 5.
The traffic light was red when Diano reached an intersection. While other vehicles stopped, Diano drove off, disregarding the traffic signal.
When the video widely circulated, Diano issued a public apology through a Facebook video. He also paid his fine at the traffic office of Mandaue.
Despite the barangay official’s admission of committing a traffic violation, the LTO-7 still opted to look into the matter.
Failure to wear a prescribed motorcycle helmet and reckless driving while proceeding through a red traffic light were among the violations cited by LTO-7.
“The official has been directed to appear personally and submit a written explanation/comment before the LTO 7 Operations Division at N. Bacalso Ave., Cebu City on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026,” the LTO-7 said in a statement.
Diano was required to show cause why his driver's license should not be suspended or revoked for being an Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle pursuant to Section 27(a) of Republic Act 4136.
He has also been ordered to surrender his driver's license and present the Official Receipt/Certificate of Registration (OR/CR) of the subject motor vehicle on the date of the hearing.
Diano’s driver’s license and motor vehicle registration have been placed under alarm status, preventing any and all transactions while the case is under investigation.
“The order warns that failure to appear and file the required explanation/comment at the stated time and place shall be construed as a waiver of the right to be heard and will result in the office resolving the case based on available records,” the LTO-7 said.
A barangay captain in Mandaue City found himself in hot water after he was caught driving a motorcycle without a helmet in a busy street.
A policeman killed three police officers and a civilian in Barangay Tubtubon, Sibulan, Negros Oriental, on Friday evening (Jan. 9), the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) reported.
Those killed were Sibulan Police Station chief Capt. Jose Edrohil Cimafranca, Senior Master Sgt. Tristan Chua, Patrolman Rey Albert Temblor, and Sheila Mae Dinanao.
A police report said that at around 9:35 p.m. Friday, Dinanao was allegedly shot by Staff Sgt. Bonifacio Saycon, a member of the Sibulan Police Station, inside SAB Resto Bar.
Saycon was then arrested by three responding police officers, but while en route to the police station aboard a vehicle, he reportedly shot them.
They were onboard a Mitsubishi Lancer with plate number JDP 808, owned by Cimafranca.
The suspect later fled but voluntarily surrendered at 10:40 p.m. at the Tanjay City Police Station.
He is currently under police custody and undergoing custodial investigation, inquest proceedings, and administrative processing.
Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR director, has directed the activation of a special investigation team to handle the case and ensure that the probe is thorough, evidence-based, and free from undue influence.
“There will be no whitewash. This investigation will be conducted with full transparency, and anyone found liable will be held accountable under the law,” he said.
The PRO-NIR assured the public that it remains firmly committed to accountability, professionalism, and the rule of law, especially in incidents involving police personnel.
A policeman killed three police officers and a civilian in Barangay Tubtubon, Sibulan, Negros Oriental, on Friday evening (Jan. 9), the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) reported.
A police officer assigned to the Tabogon Municipal Police Station has been taken into custody and is facing possible criminal and administrative charges after allegedly assaulting a person with disability.
The Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) confirmed that the officer was involved in a reported mauling incident in Tabogon, Cebu, involving a person with a disability.
The case later drew public attention after videos and posts related to the incident circulated on social media.
In the viral CCTV footage, both parties were riding motorcycles when they reached the area where the incident occurred.
The Tabogon cop stopped his motorcycle in front of the victim, disembarked, and allegedly punched the victim several times, causing him to fall from his motorcycle.
The officer continued to assault the victim even after he had fallen to the ground and attempted to walk away from the scene.
Police said responding personnel immediately conducted verification upon receiving information about the incident, proceeded to the hospital where the victim was brought, and coordinated with the victim and the victim’s family to document the case.
The police officer involved is now under the custody of the Tabogon Municipal Police Station.
Authorities also took custody of his issued firearm and other police equipment as part of standard procedure while the investigation is ongoing.
In a statement, CPPO Provincial Director Police Colonel Abubakar Mangelen Jr. said the officer’s actions are being treated seriously, noting that acts of abuse or violence, particularly against vulnerable individuals, will not be tolerated.
Police said both criminal and administrative proceedings will be pursued against the Tabogon cop based on the results of the investigation, which remains ongoing.
The CPPO added that the case will be handled with transparency and due process, stressing that accountability applies to all members of the police force regardless of rank or assignment.
A police officer assigned to the Tabogon Municipal Police Station has been taken into custody and is facing possible criminal and administrative charges after allegedly assaulting a person with disability.
The Tabuk City police chief, who previously gained public attention for paying for milk taken by a father accused of shoplifting, was relieved from his post after two detainees escaped from the city police detention cell last week.
Police Lt. Col. Jack Angog was removed from his position on Tuesday, January 6, and replaced by Police Lt. Col. Domingo Gambican, the deputy provincial director for operations of the Kalinga police, who was designated officer in charge.
In a statement, Police Col. Gilbert Fati-ig, Kalinga provincial police director, said Angog was temporarily relieved to ensure an “impartial investigation” into the escape of detainees Andres Benito Jr., 35, and Michael Macagne, 39, both farmers from Barangay Bulanao in Tabuk City. The two were earlier arrested for alleged violations of anti-drug and firearms laws.
The suspects reportedly escaped on Jan. 2, between 2:30 a.m. and 4:15 a.m., from the city police detention facility in Barangay Laya West.
Investigators said the detainees allegedly cut the iron bars of their cell using a hacksaw blade, squeezed through the railings atop a concrete wall, passed through a narrow opening, and slipped into an alley leading to the station’s first floor before exiting through a rear door toward the provincial road.
Probers recovered a wooden-handled hacksaw blade from a toilet, cut iron bars, and a bolt cutter found in a nearby field.
Police have appealed to residents to report any information that could help in the re-arrest of the suspects.
The Tabuk City police chief, who previously gained public attention for paying for milk taken by a father accused of shoplifting, was relieved from his post after two detainees escaped from the city police detention cell last week.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched an investigation into a Manila Police officer accused of raping and physically abusing a 27-year-old woman in December.
Acting PNP Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Sunday ordered the National Capital Region Police Office to relieve the officer of his duties and place him under restrictive custody.
“Any complaint against our personnel is taken seriously to send a strong message that we do not condone actions that compromise the integrity of the PNP,” Nartatez said in a statement.
He added that the officer faces both dismissal from the service and criminal charges if found liable.
The victim sought assistance from the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption following the alleged assault on 4 December 2025. According to the victim, she lost consciousness after consuming a drink at a bar in Tomas Morato.
Closed-circuit television footage from the establishment reportedly shows the victim being wheeled out of the bar and into the suspect’s vehicle. Additional footage from a motel in Sampaloc allegedly shows the officer carrying the unconscious woman into a room at approximately 6 a.m.
The victim, who identified the officer as a long-time family friend and a childhood acquaintance, said she awoke to find the suspect pinning her down.
“I tried to fight back, but I couldn’t because I was gasping for air,” the victim said. She noted that she feared for her life during the encounter, worried the officer might use his service firearm if she became hysterical.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched an investigation into a Manila Police officer accused of raping and physically abusing a 27-year-old woman in December.
A police officer is facing a criminal complaint for allegedly shooting a fellow cop during an anti-drug operation in General Trias City, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.
Operatives were arresting a street-level drug suspect over suspected shabu (crystal meth) worth P45,560 on Thursday night in Barangay Santiago, General Trias, when the implicated officer shot at them, wounding a police corporal.
“A criminal complaint for direct assault and frustrated murder was filed on Jan. 9, 2026, before the Office of the City Prosecutor of General Trias,” Cavite Provincial Police Office Director Col. Ariel Red told reporters during a briefing at Camp Crame.
He further noted, “The Cavite PIAS (Provincial Internal Affairs Service) is now conducting a motu proprio investigation against all PNP personnel involved in the incident.”
Red identified the implicated officer as a patrolman under the PNP Maritime Group. The Inquirer opted not to name him until it is able to reach him for comment.
According to the Cavite police chief, the patrolman was at his parents’ house, about 200 meters away from the site of the anti-drug operation.
“During the initial investigation, he heard some noise. He saw some people away from his parents’ residence,” Red explained.
“So he went there. Approximately, the distance from which he fired was 34 meters from the incident,” he added in Filipino.
Red later stressed that the patrolman and the drug suspect were unrelated.
The police corporal was hit in the lower back, prompting the operatives to return fire, Red said.
The patrolman was reportedly sent back to his parents’ house, where police later tracked him down and arrested him.
Asked whether the patrolman fired multiple shots, the Cavite police chief said they recovered only one slug from the scene.
In a separate statement, the Cavite police said they recovered the patrolman’s Taurus 9mm pistol with PNP markings.
Red said the patrolman is detained at the General Trias Component City Police Station.
Meanwhile, the wounded police corporal was taken to the Gentri Doctors Medical Center for treatment.
The Cavite police chief said the wounded officer has since received P50,000 in financial assistance from the regional police.
A police officer is facing a criminal complaint for allegedly shooting a fellow cop during an anti-drug operation in General Trias City.
The regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-7 filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against a legal officer of the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) and an associate city prosecutor in Lapu-Lapu City.
The complaint includes grave misconduct, gross negligence, gross ignorance of the law, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, violation of Republic Act No. 10173, violation of Republic Act No. 3019, and violation of Republic Act No. 6713.
The complaint stemmed after Lawyer Roy Buenafe’s daughter, Ma. Emilia Teofista Buenafe, was involved in a vehicular accident in Lapu-Lapu City on February 7, 2025.
Buenafe’s daughter was held liable in the accident, based on the affidavit of Sherwin Tampus, the traffic enforcer of CTMS. A complaint of reckless imprudence resulting in property damage was then filed by Emie Vidal Matuog, the complainant, against the other party involved in the vehicular accident.
In his affidavit, the DOLE-7 director argued that Lawyer Hans Daniel Sinugbuhan, the legal officer of CTMS, had enticed Tampus to execute an affidavit and notarize it. Buenafe said that such an unlawful notarial act of Sinugbuhan caused unwarranted benefits to Matuog; hence, it should be considered as a corrupt practice punishable under the law.
“The holding of office of a notary public in one of the local government unit’s properties constitutes blatant disregard for the norms of personal conduct that public officials and employees must observe as part of the standards in the discharge and execution of official duties, one of which is to uphold public interest over and above personal interest,” Buenafe said in his affidavit.
These acts, according to Buenafe, constitute grave misconduct, gross negligence, and violation of R.A. No. 3019 and R.A. No. 6713.
Buenafe also filed a separate complaint against Lapu-Lapu City Associate City Prosecutor Lawyer Irish Claire Cantillas-Salva before the Ombudsman for grave misconduct, gross ignorance of the law, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violation of R.A. No. 10173.
Buenafe’s complaint against Salva stemmed after the prosecutor dismissed the criminal complaint for violation of R.A. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act, filed by his daughter against Matuog on April 16, 2025.
Buenafe claimed that the photo of his daughter’s driver’s license, attached to the reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property complaint, was illegally obtained by Matuog.
He said that Matuog took a photo of the driver’s license of his daughter using her mobile phone without consent while they were being investigated by the traffic investigator.
Buenafe’s daughter filed a motion for reconsideration on May 28, 2025, but was eventually denied by Salva on June 16, 2025.
In her resolution, Salva said that the driver’s license photo was “necessary for the establishment of a legal claim.”
The regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-7 filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against a legal officer of the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) and an associate city prosecutor in Lapu-Lapu City.
Eleven regional and district executives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been relieved, as part of an ongoing cleanup of the agency at the center of investigations on massive anomalies in flood control projects.
At a press briefing yesterday, Secretary Vince Dizon said the 11 comprise the “initial batch” of officials dismissed for “various reasons,” as his leadership team in the DPWH continues its house cleaning.
“We are officially relieving (them) today (Monday) for various reasons, specifically because there are ongoing investigations here which I cannot fully disclose to you. But suffice it to say we are investigating a lot of people in the department,” Dizon said.
He said he would be signing the official orders for their relief “in the next day or so.”
Of the 11 officials sacked, four were regional directors: Ronnel Tan of Region 1, Jovel Mendoza of Region 4-A, Virgilio Eduarte of Region 5 and Danilo Villa of Region 7.
Also relieved were assistant regional directors Neil Farala of Region 4-B and Annie dela Vega of Region 5, along with district engineers Ruel Umali of the 3rd district of Metro Manila and Manny Bulusan of South Manila District Engineering Office.
Ordered dismissed after being found ineligible by the Civil Service Commission were district engineers Sherylann Gonzales (La Union), Roy Pacanan (IloIlo City) and Peter Scheller Soco (Leyte), “because they have not met CSC qualification standards,” Dizon said.
He said the DPWH has new “merit requirements” for all officials, specifically district engineers, assistant district engineers, regional directors and assistant regional directors.
“We will make requirements for qualifications of officials in the department tougher and stronger. This will come in the next few weeks. This is the initial batch of those relieved,” he said.
With the dismissal of 11 regional and district officers, a reshuffling in the department will follow, according to Dizon.
Eleven regional and district executives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been relieved, as part of an ongoing cleanup of the agency at the center of investigations on massive anomalies in flood control projects.
A police officer stabbed his co-accused colleague on Tuesday morning while they were both in restrictive custody at Camp Crame, Quezon City, over a P13.45-million theft case, a police report said.
The report noted that the incident occurred in the facility’s kitchen, where both officers and four other co-accused cops were being held ahead of their preliminary investigation before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office later scheduled on Tuesday.
According to the police report, the victim—an executive master sergeant—first entered the kitchen, followed shortly by the perpetrator—a senior master sergeant.
“[The senior master sergeant] suddenly drew a kitchen knife. Upon noticing this, [the executive master sergeant] rushed toward [him] and embraced him in an attempt to restrain him,” the report explained.
“However, while in that position, [the senior master sergeant] stabbed [the executive master sergeant] in the back,” it added.
The victim was rushed to the nearby PNP General Hospital for medical attention and is currently under observation due to blood loss, the police report noted.
An initial investigation showed that the officer on duty overseeing the cops in restrictive custody reported the senior master sergeant’s “sudden change in behavior” earlier on Tuesday morning, according to the police report.
All six police officers were members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Anti-Organized Crime Unit (CIDG AOCU). The Inquirer opted not to identify them until it can reach them or their legal counsel for comment.
Authorities secured the crime scene and preserved the kitchen knife for forensic examination, while the senior master sergeant was kept under custody awaiting a possible criminal and administrative case for the incident, the police report said.
It added that the senior master sergeant will be medically and psychologically evaluated.
The six CIDG AOCU officers are accused of taking P13.451 million from cash confiscated during an October 2024 raid of an alleged Philippine offshore gaming operator in Bagac, Bataan.
A police officer stabbed his co-accused colleague on Tuesday morning while they were both in restrictive custody at Camp Crame, Quezon City, over a P13.45-million theft case, a police report said.
Nine cops were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the abduction and killing of cockfighting aficionados (sabungeros), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group National Capital Region (CIDG NCR) said.
The police officers were already in restrictive custody at the CIDG NCR in Camp Crame, Quezon City, its chief Col. John Guiagui told reporters.
“We are hoping there will be more of them. We expect some to come to us,” he added.
While the CIDG NCR chief declined to identify the cops arrested, Guiagui said the highest-ranking officers in their custody were police lieutenant colonels.
The arrest warrants were dated Jan. 13 and issued by the Santa Cruz, Laguna Regional Trial Court Branch 26.
Nine cops were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the abduction and killing of cockfighting aficionados (sabungeros).
