DILG urges village assemblies to back
PHederalism
By: Philip C. Tubeza - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 11:47 AM March 24, 2017
Following President Rodrigo Dutertes orders, Interior
Secretary Ismael Sueno on Friday said that the
barangay (village) assemblies scheduled across the
country Saturday should push for federalism.
Sueno said the scheduled barangay assembly would be
an appropriate venue to highlight PHederalism,
which he described as a Philippine version of
federalism that takes into account the cultural
particularities and sensibilities of the countrys diverse
cultural communities.
The barangay assemblies are expected to draft a
resolution supporting a shift in the countrys form of
government.
PHederalism is our own indigenized federalism
experience that reflects the identities of our people
while deriving and learning from the best practices of
all federal countries, thus, we reserve to attain an
evolving type of federalism that is fully unique to the
Philippine experience, Sueno said in a statement.
Emily Padilla, Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) undersecretary for legislative
liaison and special concerns and focal person on
federalism, urged barangay officials to be consistent
partners of the government in its drive for federalism.
Padilla said federalism will only come into fruition with
the support of the barangays through consistent
discussions within their localities and being firm
contributors to the vision of the government in pushing
the country to progress.
Let us help our government. Let us help our President.
Let us bring down the concept of federalism in our
barangays, Padilla said.
Federalism is our last card to attain peace and
progress in our country, she added
Manila vice mayor, council clash over budget cuts
By: Jhesset O. Enano - Reporter / @JhessetEnanoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:14 AM January 23, 2017
A court has junked the petition filed by Manila Vice
Mayor Maria Shiela Honey Lacuna-Pangan seeking to
stop the implementation of the approved P14-billion
city budget for 2017 after funding for her office was
cut.
In a resolution handed down by Judge Armando Yanga
of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 173 on Jan.
13, he dismissed the petition for a temporary
restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary
injunction, citing lack of merit.
Lacuna earlier questioned the validity of the council
sessions in which Ordinance No. 7810, which tackled
the executive budget, was approved on second, third
and final reading in December and earlier this month.
The respondents were Councilor Casimiro Sison of the
6th District in his capacity as majority floor leader, and
17 other city councilors who approved the budget.
Sison, Lacuna and Mayor Joseph Estrada are allies
under the latters Pwersa ng Masa. Estrada, however,
has yet to comment on the issue.
In an interview with the Inquirer, Lacuna pointed to
anomalies in the budget process, including a council
session that took place in the city hall lobby
supposedly after the meeting had been adjourned for
the day.
We were after the process of the approval of the
budget, she said, adding: We believe it was
railroaded.
Lacuna said there were unauthorized moves carried
out by some people, particularly the committee on
appropriations. The budget of some departments,
including the Office of the Vice Mayor, the City
Administrators Office and the Sanggunian, were not
heard, she added.
According to Lacuna, her offices budget was slashed
by P360 million which included allocations for job
orders, contractual employees, office supplies and
donations. All that is needed for my office to run, she
said.
In her testimony, Lacuna called the sessions that led to
the approval of the ordinance as unsanctioned and
unofficial.
On Dec. 15, she said she adjourned the session after a
motion was raised. But Sison and 22 other councilors CamSur mayor dismissed over anomalous lease
resumed the session at the lobby and passed the deal
budget measure on second reading.
By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ
For his part, Sison said before the court that it was
Lacuna who violated the rules when she abruptly Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:37 PM May 02, 2017
adjourned the session to avoid the approval of the
ordinance. He also noted that only the majority floor
MANILA Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has
leader was authorized to adjourn sessions.
dismissed Baao, Camarines Sur, Mayor Melquiades
Gaite for irregularities in a 25-year lease deal for the
Voting 17-13 with four abstentions, the city council towns public market.
approved the budget ordinance on Jan. 3, with Lacuna
presiding. Mayor Joseph Estrada has yet to sign the
The Ombudsman meted out the penalty as she found
measure.
Gaite guilty of the administrative offenses of grave
misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest
As far as this Court is concerned, the session, or the of the service, according to a Tuesday statement by her
passage of the ordinance done on Dec. 15, 2016 and media bureau.
Jan. 3, 2017, by the herein defendants are valid and
legal, the judge said.
Morales directed the Department of the Interior and
Local Government to implement the ruling.

Investigation showed that in May 2014, Gaite entered

into a 25-year lease contract with the Lamvert
Consolidated Complex Development Corporation over a
portion of the Baao public market building covering
1,704 square meters.

The Ombudsman said Gaite failed to show the lease

had the prior authorization of the Sangguniang Bayan
as required by the Local Government Code.

She also faulted the mayor for violating Municipal

Ordinance No. 3, which has provided that lease
contracts should not exceed five years.

Noting Gaite was a veteran local chief executive with

almost two decades of experience, the Ombudsman
held that the violation amounts to a transgression of
some established and definite rule of action.

Gaite was also found to have failed to enforce the

provision on goodwill money for the lease deal.

Under the provision, the town was supposed to receive

P1.719 million from the lessee, with 70 percent going
to a trust fund for the development of facilities and the
remaining 30 percent serving as deposit.

Clearly, respondent committed a corrupt act that

would classify his misconduct as grave, Morales ruled
Bacolod City Mayor Leonardia ordered dismissed
By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 03:19 PM January 15, 2017
ILOILO CITY The Ombudsman has ordered the
dismissal of Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Bing
Leonardia for alleged irregularities in the purchase of
office equipment, furniture and fixtures amounting to
about P49 million in 2008.
In a 21-page joint resolution signed by Ombudsman
Conchita Carpio-Morales on Dec. 13, 2016, the
Ombudsman also indicted Leonardia for graft after the
anti-graft body found probable cause to charge him for
violating Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act).
Leonardia said his lawyers filed a motion for
reconsideration on January 11.
This was a surprise to us because we knew that this
case was already close and terminated. But we will
face the case and our lawyers will present our
arguments in the proper venue, Leonardia told the
INQUIRER in a phone interview.
He declined to elaborate on the merits of the resolution
but pointed out that it was clear in the Ombudsman
resolution that all goods were delivered and there was
no money stolen.
There was no overprice, no conspiracy and we did not
act in bad faith, the mayor said.
The Ombudsman also indicted for graft and ordered
the dismissal from service of nine other city officials
and employees.
These included members of the citys bids and awards
committee Goldwyn Nifras (chair), Luzviminda
Treyes (vice chair), Nelson Sedillo and Melvin Recabar
(secretariat head); and technical working group
members Eduardo Ravena, Jaries Ebenizer Encabo,
Belly Aguillon, Aladino Agbones; and city treasurer
Annabelle Badajos.
The Ombudsman found Leonardia and the other
officials and employees guilty of grave misconduct and
gross neglect of duty for violating the procurement law
and rules and showing partiality to the supplier.
They were meted out the accessory penalties of
forfeiture of retirement benefits, perpetual
disqualification from holding public office and
cancellation of civil service eligibility.
The Ombudsman said in its joint resolution that those
found guilty violated procurement rules by awarding
the contract to supply property, plant and equipment,
furniture and fixtures for the New Bacolod City
Government Center to Comfac Corp.
Comfac Corp., a company primarily engaged in
information technology systems integration services,
was ineligible to bid for the contract because it was a
distributor not a manufacturer of furniture, according to
the Ombudsman.
The respondents had pointed out that Comfac was
eligible because it was the exclusive distributor of its
sister company, Cornersteel Corp., which manufactures
furniture and fixtures.
The act of naming an ineligible corporation as the
eligible bidder reflects bias and partiality that should
not be countenanced in procurement activities using
public funds, according to the Ombudsman resolution.
The Ombudsman said the officials also violated the
procurement law and rules by retaining the P500,000
bidders bond of Comfac and treating it as a
performance bond.
The bidders bond is a fee paid by bidders as a
guarantee that the winning bidder will enter into a
contract with the procuring office or agency. The
performance bond is a guarantee that the winning
bidder will comply with its contract obligations.
The Ombudsman said the performance bond should
have amounted to P2,452,984.84.
By merely converting the bid security of P500,000 to
performance bond, the respondents exposed the city
government to the risk of Comfac not performing its
obligation, according to its resolution.
The anti-graft body also noted that Comfac Corp.
should have paid damages amounting to
P14,152,717.80 for the delay in the delivery of the
goods which reached up to a year and eight months
after December 2, 2008, the delivery date.
The respondents had charged the supplier P57,600.01
for a delay of 128 days.
Undoubtedly, therefore, the city government suffered
loss of funds in terms of liquidated damages
chargeable to Comfac, which should not have
happened had the respondents exercise due diligence
in observing (the) procurement law and rules, the
Ombudsman said.
Leonardia, in his counter-affidavit, invoked the
condonation (Aguinaldo) doctrine which absolves an
elective official of administrative liabilities if the official
is re-elected.
But this was rejected by the Ombudsman, citing the
Supreme Court ruling abandoning the doctrine.
Leonardia is serving his fifth term as mayor. He served
his first term from 1995 to 1998 and another three
terms from 2004 to 2013.
He won a fifth term in the May 2016 elections after
serving three years as representative of the lone SC halts QC ordinance on property valuation hike
congressional district of Bacolod from 2013-2016.
By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQ

INQUIRER.net / 06:03 PM April 18, 2017

BAGUIO CITY The Supreme Court temporary stopped

the Quezon City government from implementing an
ordinance that imposed hefty tax on residential,
commercial and industrial properties.

At a press conference, high courts Information Chief

Theodore Te said a temporary restraining order has
been issued against the implementation of Quezon City
Ordinance No. 2556 (Series of 2016).

The ordinance has increased the existing fair market

values of properties from 100 percent to 500 percent
effective this year.

Petitioner Alliance of Quezon City Homeowners

Association Inc. (AQCHI) told the high court that the
rates are unjust and excessive.

They added that the ordinance has unduly burdened

landowners in Quezon City.

The high court gave the Quezon City government led

by Mayor Herbert Bautista, the Quezon City Assessors
Office of the city treasurer 10 days to comment on the
petition.

The Quezon City government earlier said it expects

to yield around P700 million in additional collections in
the first year of implementation.
Echiverri charged for Caloocan drainage projects
By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab - Reporter /
@MJcayabyabINQ
INQUIRER.net / 01:49 PM March 08, 2017
Under Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, public officials
are prohibited from causing any undue injury to any
party, including the Government, or giving any private
party any unwarranted benefits, advantage, or
preference in the discharge of his official administrative
or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident
bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence. CBB

Former Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Recom Echiverri

was charged before the Sandiganbayan with two
counts of graft over the allegedly anomalous drainage
improvement projects he awarded in 2011 without the
approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor under the

Ombudsman filed two counts of graft or violation of
Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act
against Echiverri, former city accountant Edna Centeno
and city budget officer Jesusa Garcia.

According to the first charge sheet, the respondents

conspired with each other and acted with manifest
partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable
negligence in awarding the P2.751-million contract for
the improvement of Molave Street drainage system to
E.V. & E. Construction.

READ: Echiverri indicted for graft over anomalous

drainage project

Prosecutors said the respondents gave undue benefit

to the contractor because it was awarded without prior
authorization of the Sangguniang Panglungsod to the
damage and prejudice of the government.

Meanwhile, in the second charge, the respondents

caused undue injury to government in the grant of a
P1.962 million contract to Golden 3T Construction for
the improvement of Saplungan Street. Drainage
System without prior authorization of the Sanggunian
Panlungsod.

Lastly, Centeno and Garcia were also charged with two

counts of falsification of public documents punishable
under the Revised Penal Code for feloniously making
false statements in the narration of facts.

READ: Echiverri indicted again for graft

Prosecutors said they certified in the allotment and

obligation slip about the appropriation and obligation of
allotment for the drainage projects when in truth and
in fact, as the accused very well knew, there was no
appropriation for the said project, to the prejudice of
public interest.

Echiverri is a former Caloocan representative who lost

his bid for mayor in last years elections to Oscar
Malapitan.

READ: Echiverri questions Malapitan poll win

Ex-Angeles City mayor gets 12 to 20 years for necessary request from the City Council to authorize
graft him to execute the said donation, the decision read.

By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:58 PM March 31, 2017
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced former Angeles City
Mayor Francis Blueboy Nepomuceno to at least 12
years imprisonment for the unlawful donation of a city-
owned service vehicle to a nongovernment
organization in 2010.
The antigraft courts Fourth Division found
Nepomuceno guilty of one count each of violating
Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act, for giving unwarranted benefits to a
private party and for binding the government into a
disadvantageous contract.
Nepomuceno and one private individual, Kapanalig
Angeles City, Inc. president Abelardo Pamintuan Jr.,
were each meted prison terms of at least 12 years and
two months to a maximum of 20 years arising from the
two criminal convictions.
The court also pointed to the Commission on Audits
findings in Audit Observation Memorandum No. 2010-
005-(10) as reiterated in the Interim Report on the
Audit of the Accounts and Operations of the City of
Angeles.
A total of 11 functioning and newly acquired motor
vehicles with acquisition cost of P10.21 million were
donated to different barangays (villages), government
agencies and NGOs without ample consideration for
the citys financial condition and service needs, and
without observing the pertinent rules, the said report
found.
Justice Reynaldo P. Cruz penned the decision, with the
concurrence of Justices Alex L. Quiroz and Geraldine
Faith A. Econg.

The verdict arose from the June 8, 2010 donation of a

Mitsubishi Adventure GLS 2.5 vehicle with the plate
number SHL 124 and acquisition cost of P786,000.
Because Kapanalig was not a government entity, state
prosecutors questioned the donation for violating the
Local Government Code.

In a 26-page decision on March 27, the Sandiganbayan

said the donationis without justification because a
motor vehicle which is still in use by the city
government is not allowed.

Citing the Commission on Audit Circular No. 92-386,

the court said only government vehicles that have
become unserviceable or no longer needed may be
disposed of at a public auction.

It added that only disposable government property

reported for disposition may be donated subject to the
approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod. In this case,
the donated vehicle was never reported for
disposition.

The donation was also deemed disadvantageous to the

government, with the court pointing out that had
Nepomuceno followed the rules on disposable
property, the vehicle could have been auctioned off or
transferred to another agency instead.

The decision also cited the hasty manner of

Nepomuceno in allowing the donation at Pamintuans
request.

As soon as he found out that there was an available

motor vehicle, [Nepomuceno] immediately set in
motion the processing of the donation by giving
instructions to the City Administrator to make the
MMDA sues local officials who tolerate illegal
parking
Published 7:34 PM, April 10, 2017
Updated 9:36 AM, April 11, 2017
The complaints filed with the Ombudsman against the
barangay chairmen from Paraaque and Quezon City
are the second batch. Makati and Manila are next.
MANILA, Philippines The Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority (MMDA) is not only
apprehending vehicle owners who park their cars
illegally, they are also suing local officials who let these
drivers and car owners get away with it.
MMDA filed supplementary complaints before the
Office of the Ombudsman on Monday, April 10, against
two barangay chairmen in Paraaque and Quezon City
who did not act on the agency's reports and
recommendations against parking violators.
(After so many clearing operations, we submit a report
to the barangay chairman, stating that the
responsibility is now theirs because that's their area.
We have a surveillance team that goes back to the
area after a month. But unfortunately, up to the last
minute, yesterday and earlier today, vehicles were still
illegally parked, meaning the chairman did not do what
he was supposed to.)
According to the MMDA, reports and recommendations
are on their way to barangay chairmen in Makati City
and Manila, which would soon be the subject of
surveillance. If they find that the local officials there
also fail to apprehend violators, they would also be
slapped with the same complaint.
The act of the said barangay captain should not be
countenanced but must be penalized to serve as
example to other public officials to be circumspect in
the performance of their duties and obligations, the
MMDA says in their complaint. Rappler.com

Captains Michael Philip Factor of Barangay Don Galo,

Paraaque City, and Elmer Maturan of Barangay
Bagumbayan, Quezon City, face administrative charges
of gross neglect of duty for their unresponsiveness,
apathy or inaction.

These came after two earlier complaints of similar

nature were filed on August 7, 2016, against village
captains Antonio Benito Calma Jr of Barangay Don
Manuel, Quezon City, and Clarito de Jesus of Barangay
Veterans Village, also of QC.

In the complaint-affidavits filed on Monday, MMDA said

Factor and Maturan requested their assistance to clear
the sidewalks and roads in their areas of vehicles.
MMDA said they did their part in towing illegally parked
vehicles, but turned over the responsibility to the
barangay chairmen to prevent a repeat of the same
offense.

An inspection, however, showed that vehicles returned

to the same sidewalks.

The MMDA said the barangay officials should be held

liable for their carelessness or indifference.

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said the agency

had been very lenient when it comes to illegal parking,
noting that theres even a warning given to residents
so they could avoid getting their vehicles towed.

After so many clearing operations ipapasa na natin sa

barangay chairman ang report, stating that we are now
turning the responsibility to you kasi area mo naman
'yun. Then mayroon tayong surveillance team, after a
month babalikan natin. Unfortunately, up to the last
minute, kahapon, kanina talaga pong may mga
illegally parked pa rin, meaning hindi nila ginagawa
'yung napag-usapan, Pialago said.
Naga council opposes appointment of barangay
officials by Duterte
Postponing barangay polls and appointing village
officials punish, disenfranchise people, not narco-pols,
say council
By: Juan Escandor Jr. - @inquirerdotnet
Inquirer Southern Luzon / 03:00 PM April 04, 2017
NAGA CITY In a collective motion, the city council
here opposed, on Tuesday, President Rodrigo Dutertes
plan to postpone the barangay elections this year and
appoint punong barangay (barangay or village
chairmen) on the basis of information that 40 percent
of them have been found involved in illegal drugs.
Resolution No. 2017 of the Naga City Council stated
that the idea of President Duterte appointing village
chiefs runs counter to the essence of democracy and
hearing the voice of the Filipino people, from whom
sovereignty resides and all government authority
emanates.
Vice Mayor Nelson Legacion said the decision to
officially oppose the appointment of village chiefs was
the result of the clamor from village officials who
wanted the elections rather than appointment of
officials of the villages.
The resolution also questioned Mr. Dutertes claim of
the supposed widespread narco-politics in the
country, saying it remains unsubstantiated and
unfounded to the present.
If the raison detre behind the proposal is to get rid of
those barangay leaders involved in drugs, the proper
course of action is not to punish the people and
disenfranchise them of their rights to suffrage, but to
charge those concerned officials before the courts and
let due process administratively, criminally punish
them, the resolution said.
The city council furnished the Liga ng mga Barangay,
Mr. Duterte, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III,
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Camarines Sur third district
Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. and Vice President Ma. Leonor
G. Robredo with copies of the resolution. SFM
Bill proposes 5-year term for barangay, SK
officials
CITY OF MALOLOSBarangay and Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK) officials should be given five-year terms
to insulate them from partisan politics, a Bulacan
congressman proposed on Wednesday.
In House Bill No. 5510, Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-
Alvarado proposed that elected barangay officials also
be allowed to serve three consecutive terms, or a total
of 15 years, longer than the nine-year term limit for
mayors, councilors and lawmakers.
HB 5510 also seeks to reset the October 2017
barangay election to May 28, 2018.
The elections in October this year would disrupt
the continuity of the programs initiated by the
President. The positive momentum carried out by the
government can again be [halted] if partisan politics
and inherent divisiveness become the spotlight again
in the local scene, Alvarado said.
The lawmaker said a five-year term would establish
neutrality and [allow incumbent village leaders] to
effectively discharge their duties impartially.
He said a longer term for village officials would also
allow communities to pursue projects even if the local
government leadership had already been changed in
an election.
The longer term would also force communities to vote
wisely, he said.CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE
Comelec puts off signing barangay poll deals in which will trigger the production and delivery can be
case of postponement held in abeyance, he said.

Poll body starts bidding out contracts for village, youth
polls but will not sign contracts yet
By: Julie M. Aurelio - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 03:26 PM April 03, 2017
Earlier, Comelec chairperson Andres Bautista appealed
to lawmakers to inform the poll body by July at the
latest if the polls would push through or not.
This is to ensure that government funds will not go to
waste.

MANILA The Commission on Elections said it might
delay the issuance of the notices of award in its
ongoing bidding of contracts for the barangay
elections, in case of another election postponement as
proposed by President Duterte.
So far, the poll body has published at least four bid
invitations for contracts in relation to the barangay
elections, while waiting for a law which would defer the
polls for the second time in two years.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the agency
has begun preparing for the barangay elections initially
scheduled for October 23, 2017, pending the passage
of a new law in Congress for their postponement.
If we begin with the bidding process, we can delay the
notice of award if the postponement is formalized, the
poll official said.
This is the second time in two years that lawmakers
have been asked to postpone the barangay elections,
following a law deferring last years barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan polls to 2017.
In both instances, President Duterte backed the
postponement. He cited his war against illegal drugs as
a justification, claiming that he did not want bets
backed by drug syndicates to win.
This year, the President wants to declare the posts of
barangay officials vacant and instead appoint the new
sets of barangay officials nationwide.
Following this, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace
Barbers filed a measure seeking to postpone the 2017
barangay elections to 2020 in order to curtail the
countrys drug problem. SFM/rga

Jimenez made the comment at a forum at the Manila

Hotel on Monday as he discussed the Comelecs
preparations for the elections despite proposals to
defer the elections anew.

He said that without any law postponing the polls yet,

the Comelec has decided to continue with its
preparations, which began last week.

So far, the Comelec has published four bid invitations

for separate contracts in relation to the simultaneous
barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections later
this year.

These are: a P164-million contract to supply and

deliver various office supplies; a P79-million contract
for forwarding services to deploy supplies and election
paraphernalia; a P36-million contract for the printing
and delivery of envelopes to be used in the voting and
counting process; and a P41-million for the printing and
delivery of election forms.

The printing of the ballots in the manual elections, on

the other hand, will be undertaken by the National
Printing Office.

Jimenez explained that the Comelec started the bidding

process now so as not to waste time while waiting for
the finalization of the deferment of the polls.

The bidders will know that they will not get the notice
of award until everything is clear. They will know that
someone won the bidding, but the notice of award,
Manila govt scraps realty tax hike this year
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:55 AM January 25, 2017
The Manila city government has approved an ordinance
forgoing a second round of real property tax increase
this year.
In signing Ordinance No. 8516 on Monday, Mayor
Joseph Estrada said the city no longer needed the
additional income that would have come from the 40-
percent tax increase since City Hall had already settled
its debts and its finances had already stabilized.
When he assumed the mayoral post in 2013, Estrada
said the city owed P5.5 billion to various creditors.
To pay up the obligations, the local government revised
its revenue code and imposed a 60-percent increase in
the citys real property tax in 2014.
Another tax hike of 40 percent was supposed to be
implemented this year.
We are debt-free now thats why I ordered the halt in
the increase in real property taxes, Estrada said in a
statement on Tuesday.
Councilor Anna Katrina Yupangco, who authored the
ordinance, said the cancellation of the second round of
tax increase was also in response to the request of the
citizens, who in public hearings had complained that
the tax increase would be too much for them.
JOVIC YEE
Manila rolls out smoking ban
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 13 2017 12:31 PM | Updated as of Feb 13
2017 01:10 PM
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Monday implemented
a smoking ban in the capital, emulating an existing law
in Davao City where President Duterte ruled as mayor
for 22 years.
Estrada, through City Ordinance 7748, prohibited
smoking in public areas in Manila, including the city
hall.
At the town hall located in Ermita district, smoking will
only be allowed at the Arroceros, Taft Avenue and
Freedom Triangle gates.
Violators of the ordinance will be arrested by city hall
employees.
Estrada was a longtime smoker himself but stopped
the vice after he was hospitalized last December due to
asthma attacks.
An executive order on a nationwide smoking ban is still
awaiting Duterte's signature.
Before his rise to the presidency, Duterte imposed in
Davao City an anti-smoking ordinance that imposes a
P5,000 fine or four months in prison as penalty.
Around 17 million people, or nearly a third of the adult
population, smoke in the Philippines -- the second
highest in the region after Indonesia -- according to a
2014 report by Southeast Asia Tobacco Control
Alliance.
Nearly half of all Filipino men and 9 percent of women
smoke and experts say the habit costs the economy
nearly $4 billion in healthcare and productivity losses
every year. -- With reports from Dennis Datu,
DZMM; Reuters
City suspends new truck ban ordinance
Monday, March 27, 2017 BAGUIO City
Mayor Mauricio Domogan ordered the suspension of
the implementation of Ordinance No. 05, series of
2017, which seeks to regulate the use of streets in the
city by trucks with gross weight of 4,500 kilograms or
more for 10 days to resolve the concern of truckers
loaded with perishable goods. Domogans decision to
temporarily suspend the implementation of the new
truck ban ordinance came after La Trinidad Mayor
Romeo Salda, La Trinidad police chief Inspector Benson
Macli-ing and officers of the traders and truckers
association from Benguet requested for exemption of
those trucks loaded with perishable goods, particularly
vegetables from the La Trinidad trading post to the
lowlands via the citys roads, for timely delivery to their
buyers. We have to temporarily suspend the
implementation of the new truck ban ordinance to
allow us, with the support of stakeholders, to find ways
on how we can closely work together without unduly
interrupting the transport of perishable goods from the
La Trinidad vegetable trading post to their prospective
markets in the lowlands, Domogan stressed. While the
truckers and traders agreed to work out arrangements
by which they could adjust their schedules in travelling
from the trading post to their prospective markets in
the lowlands, the local chief executive is also looking
into ways on how to grant the truckers the exemption
from the coverage of the new truck ban ordinance for
the smooth transport of agricultural products to the
markets in Metro Manila and the lowlands. Under the
new truck ban ordinance, six wheeler trucks are barred
to traverse in various roads around the city from 6 a.m.
to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The truckers
agreed to the implementation of the total truck ban in
the city from 6 am to 9 am but questioned the
enforcement of the truck ban from 4 pm to 9 pm which
is the height of the transport of vegetables from the
trading post to Metro Manila and lowland markets.
According to the truckers, the height of their travel is
from 2 pm to 6 pm to beat the 6 pm to 8 pm truck ban
in La Trinidad that is why they want the local
government to exempt their trucks that transport
perishable goods from the coverage of the new truck
ban in the city. Domogan requested Salda, Macli-ing
and officers of the truckers association to submit their
proposals to him before the lapse of the 10 day grace
period so he will be able to work out the issuance of
the appropriate orders for their exemption from the
coverage of the truck ban or request the local
legislative body to amend the truck ban ordinance.
Salda expressed his gratitude to Domogan for his
timely intervention and decision to temporarily
suspend the implementation of the citys new truck
ban ordinance to give a chance for the affected
truckers to submit their proposals on how to address
the issues raised against the implementation of the
ordinance. (Dexter See/PIO)
MMDA to impose light truck ban in EDSA, Shaw
Blvd.
Dry run starts on March 15-June 15
Updated March 10, 2017, 4:19 PM
By Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren
Starting March 15, light trucks which have a gross
capacity weight of 4,500 kilos and below are banned
from traversing Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue and
Shaw Boulevard during rush hour morning and
afternoon, said the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA).
Container trucks
(KJ ROSALES / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
This is based from a resolution approved by the
agencys policy-making body, the Metro Manila Council
(MMC) amid the proliferation of light trucks on the two
major thoroughfares, contributing to traffic congestion.
In a two page resolution, light trucks are banned from
traversing EDSA and Shaw Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 10
a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., periods where traffic
in the metropolis is heavy.
The MMDA is set to conduct a trial run of regulating
light trucks along EDSA and the entire stretch of Shaw
Boulevard, which traverses the cities of Mandaluyong
and Pasig, for three three months from March 15 until
June 15.
The uniform light trucks ban will be enforced from
Monday to Saturday except Sundays and holidays, the
resolution said.
Violators will be slapped with a P2,000 fine.
MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said there is a
necessity to regulate the light trucks on the roads
which have also contributed significantly to traffic
congestion in the metropolis.
At present, around 3,000 light trucks are passing Edsa
and Shaw Boulevard.
This is only one of the several measures that has been
approved by the local executives during the meeting in
an effort to further improve traffic condition in Metro
Manila, Orbos said.
Light trucks carrying perishable goods are exempted
from the ban but they still need to apply for exemption.
Also exempted from the light trucks ban are
government and emergency vehicles such as firetrucks
and ambulances.
CA stops Aklan govs dismissal
Ombudsman order says official, wife failed to properly
declare assets
By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:51 AM April 04, 2017
ILOILO CITYThe Office of the Ombudsman has
ordered the dismissal of Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores
and his wife, former Mayor Lourdes Miraflores of Ibajay,
also in Aklan, for failing to properly declare assets
worth about P12.18 million in their statements of
assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) from 2001 to
2009.
The Court of Appeals (CA), however, issued a 60-day
temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the
Department of the Interior and Local Government from
enforcing the Ombudsmans decision.
Reached for comment, Miraflores denied any
wrongdoing.
ADVERTISEMENT
There was no deliberate intent to conceal properties
or assets or commit grave misconduct or bad faith, he
told the Inquirer.
Rachel Cariaga-Favila, graft investigation and
prosecution officer, issued the 19-page Ombudsman
order on Aug. 15, 2016, which was approved by Overall
Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang on Jan.
25 this year.
The CAs 16th Division promulgated the TRO on Feb. 27
in relation to a petition for review filed by the Miraflores
couple. The order was penned by Associate Justice
Edwin Sorongon and concurred with by Associate
Justices Ricardo Rosario and Marie Christine Azcarraga-
Jacob.
Condonation doctrine
In their petition, the couple invoked the condonation
doctrine (also known as the Aguinaldo Doctrine), noting
that the alleged offenses were committed in 2001 to
2009, but they were reelected in 2010.
The legal doctrine extinguishes administrative cases
filed against any public official during the officials
previous term after the officials reelection. The
Supreme Court abandoned the doctrine in 2015, saying
it was rendered obsolete by the current legal regime.
In an earlier Inquirer report, the high courts
information chief, Theodore Te, clarified that the
abandonment of the condonation doctrine should be
prospective in application.
Lourdes completed her third and last term as mayor in
2016, and was replaced by her son, Jose Enrique.
ADVERTISEMENT
Miraflores also served as governor of the province from
1995 to 2004, and representative of the lone
congressional district of Aklan from 2004 to 2013.
In ordering the dismissal of the couple, the
Ombudsman cited undeclared, undervalued and
overvalued assets, including P6,497,200 in shares of
stock in Rural Bank of Ibajay, undeclared vehicles
amounting to P708,400, and a property in Quezon City.
The respondents failed to properly declare their net
worths in their 2001-2009 SALNs and to prove that
they have the financial capacity to accumulate their
explained and unexplained wealth, according to the
Ombudsman.
It also said the irregularities were committed
repeatedly and caused prejudice to [the] government.
The antigraft office also imposed accessory penalties,
including cancellation of civil service eligibility,
forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual
disqualification from holding public office and from
taking civil service examination.
If the decision is upheld, Lourdes would be imposed a
fine equivalent to her salary for a year when she was in
government service.
In their counteraffidavit, the couple said their total
income should be placed at P12,132,519. They said
they loaned P20 million to subsidize their living
expenses and acquire assets.
Miraflores siblings also contributed to the purchase of
the property in Quezon City, according to the
counteraffidavit cited by the Ombudsman in its
decision.
The respondents did not declare a Mazda pickup truck,
Nissan Safari wagon and Kawasaki motorcycle even if
these were registered to their names because these
were already owned, used and given to people who
had served their family for years.
They said the supposed irregularities in the
computation of the value of their declared assets were
due to confusion brought about by changes in the
SALN forms.
Ex-Samar gov sentenced to 10 years for
malversation
By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 01:06 AM April 01, 2017
The Sandiganbayan has sentenced the former officer in
charge (OIC) governor of Northern Samar to at least 10
years in prison for malversation of public property.
In a 16-page decision dated March 7, the antigraft
courts Fourth Division convicted John Kam, who served
as OIC governor in 1987, for taking and failing to return
a Smith & Wesson Airweight .38 cal. revolver, and a
Bingham revolver and a Yamaha DT-100 motorcycle.
He was sentenced to imprisonment of at least 10 years
and one day, to a maximum of 14 years, eight months
and one day. He was also ordered to pay a fine of
P18,050 but the court no longer imposed civil liability
because he had paid for the items involved in the case.
ADVERTISEMENT
The court said Kam never protested or denied the
allegations of the prosecution regarding his alleged
failure to turn over the firearms and the motorcycle
that were under his custody as OIC governor.
It said that liability for malversation already arose
when the provincial government under then Gov. Harlin
Abayon began demanding the turnover of the items
from 1988 to 1994, when court cases ensued.
Although the items were returned while the case was
ongoing, the court considered it only as a mitigating
circumstance.
It is apparent that when Kam was called to account for
the properties he received, he could not produce the
same, read the resolution penned by Justice Alex L.
Quiroz.
The case arose from a complaint by Abayon against
Kam, who became provincial health officer. Kam was
charged at the Sandiganbayan in 1995, but
proceedings had to be deferred pending the resolution
of a suit seeking the recovery of the items.
Negros Oriental governor seeks dismissal of
calamity fund case
By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:57 PM March 31, 2017
Citing unreasonable delay by the Office of the
Ombudsman, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo
has sought the dismissal of his charges over the
continued use of a portion of the P480.7-million
calamity funds that were revoked in 2012.
In an eight-page motion on March 30, Degamo asked
the Sandiganbayan Third Division to throw out his
charges for one count of violating Section 3(e) of the
Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and 11 counts of
malversation through falsification.
Degamo said the Office of the Ombudsman violated his
constitutional right to the speedy disposition of his
case. He said it took three years for the case, initiated
in Oct. 29, 2013, to finally reach the court on Aug.
3 last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
Although the respondents submitted their counter
affidavits and position papers from February to May
2014, the Ombudsman issued a finding of probable
cause on Jan. 12, 2016 and denied the appeals five
months later on May 25.
He said there was no justifiable reason for the
preliminary investigation to last up to almost three
years before he could be indicted at the antigraft
court.
The inescapable conclusion is that the Office of the
Ombudsman took its own sweet time to terminate the
preliminary investigation and lodge the Information in
court, unmindful of the fact that in the interim, accused
had to endure the agony of an uncertain future, akin to
having the potential sword of Damocles hanging over
their heads, read Degamos motion.
He told the court that he could not be blamed for the
delay because he complied with the periods for the
filing of his pleadings and never asked for an
extension.
Degamo also insisted that the case is not that
complicated either, because there were neither novel
issues to unravel nor uncharted territories to explore
to warrant the length of the probe.
What is clear is that the Office of the Ombudsman had
tarried in its completion and the accused were not at
fault, the motion read.
Degamo is currently out on bail amounting to P1.115
million, halved from the prosecutions recommendation
of P2.23 million.
The case arose from the provincial governments award
of 11 infrastructure contracts worth P143.2 million,
even after the Department of Budget and Management
withdrew the June 5, 2012 special allotment release
order after 14 days.
ADVERTISEMENT
The money was meant for the repair of infrastructure
damaged by typhoon Sendong in December 2011 and
a 6.9-magnitude earthquake in February 2012. On June
19, 2012, the DBM informed Degamo that the SARO
was being withdrawn over the provinces failure to
comply with existing guidelines for infrastructure
projects.
But instead of complying with the order to return the
already-released funds, Degamo proceeded with the
award of the 11 infrastructure contracts. The
Commission on Audit later issued 11 notices of
disallowance, but these orders are still under appeal.
Negros Oriental gov Degamo sues Ombudsman
officials for graft
By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:06 PM March 29, 2017
Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on Wednesday
filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a
complaint for graft against officials of the Office of the
Ombudsman for ordering his dismissal from service for
malversation and graft for the alleged misuse of his
provinces calamity funds during a previous term.
Named respondent in the complaint were Deputy
Ombudsman for Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, Deputy
Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law
Enforcement Offices Cyryl Ramos, and graft
investigators Laurrei Layne Cristobal, Anna Francesca
Limbo, Ma. Bernadette Andal-Subaan and Amy Rose
Soler-Rellin.
He accused the said officials for violation of Republic
Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act
specifically Section 3 (e) for causing any undue injury
against a party through evident bad faith.
ADVERTISEMENT
He stated that the said officials should be prosecuted
for imposing the administrative penalty on him despite
the condonation doctrine, which clears elected officials
of administrative liabilities in previous terms upon
reelection to their posts.
Condonation doctrine clears a public official of
administrative liability upon re-election.
The Supreme Court, however, abandoned the
condonation doctrine when it ruled on the
administrative case against former Makati City Mayor
Jejomar Erwin Junjun Binay Jr. in 2015, but applied the
ruling prospectively or only for succeeding cases.
It is indisputable that the alleged act was committed
on June 2012, and despite the fact that complainant
was re-elected twice in the 2013 and 2016 elections,
and despite the fact that the abandonment of the
condonation doctrine was only on November 2015,
applicable prospectively, respondents, still dismissed
complainant from office twice based on the same
facts, Degamo said in his complaint.
Degamo said the Court of Appeals has already
reversed the first dismissal order in January last year
and yet the Ombudsman again issued another
dismissal order on the same case in December last
year.
We filed this case because I think we are being
abused by the Ombudsman. I was dismissed twice by
the Ombudsman even when the Court of Appeals
already reversed the Ombudsman decision, the
governor told reporters in an interview.
Degamos lawyer Richard Enojo told reporters that
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales was excluded
because she is an impeachable official.
He said they also filed the complaint before the DOJ,
which has concurrent jurisdiction with the Ombudsman
office in conducting preliminary investigation on graft
charges. JE
Ombudsman OKs criminal raps vs ex-Nueva Ecija
solon, 5 others
By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQ
INQUIRER.net / 11:59 AM December 28, 2016
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Wednesday
approved the filing criminal complaint against a former
representative of the 3rd district of Nueva Ecija and
five others over the questionable use of his 2005
Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork
barrel.
In a 38-page resolution ordered charged with four
counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) and three counts
of malversation are former Rep. Aurelio Umali, Janet
Lim Napoles, Department of Agriculture (DA) officials
Renato Manantan (regional executive director) and
Narcisa Maningding (accountant). Also indicted are
Anita Tansipek and Corazon Bautista, both from the
Samahan ng mga Manininda ng Prutas sa Gabi, Inc.
Aside from criminal indictment, Umali and Manantan
were found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of
duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the
service and were ordered dismissed from the service.
They were also meted the accessory penalties of
perpetual disqualification from holding public office and
forfeiture of retirement of benefits. In case of
separation from the government service, the penalty
shall be convertible to a fine equivalent to
respondents one year salary.
ADVERTISEMENT
Involved is the mishandling of P15-million PDAF fund
intended for the acquisition of irrigation pumps and
fertilizers. The agricultural implements were supposed
to benefit his constituents in Laur, Gabaldon,
Bongabon, Santa Rosa, General Natividad and
Cabanatuan City.
Ombudsman investigators found that in 2005, Umali
identified and endorsed the Samahan and the
Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, Inc.
(MAMFI), as NGO-partners. To implement the project,
the DA downloaded P12million to MAMFI and P3million
to the Samahan. Respondents made it appear that the
funds were used to purchase 7,920 bottles of liquid
fertilizers and 15 irrigation pumps.
However, the investigation revealed that there was no
real purchase at all since the liquid fertilizers had been
sourced from another Napoles company, Nutrigrowth
Philippines. Similar findings of ghost projects were
confirmed insofar as the alleged purchase of irrigation
pumps.
Also, the Ombudsman probe also showed that the NGO
lacked the credentials and the track record to
implement multi-million peso projects. There was also
the absence of a market survey and the identification
of product standards for the agricultural implements,
absence of a public bidding, usage of undated and
unnumbered disbursement vouchers, and lack of
delivery of irrigation pumps to the intended
beneficiaries.
To be able to divert substantial funds from the PDAF
and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization
Program funds, access had to be made available, and
this was made possible by Umali who chose MAMFI and
the Samahan to implement his livelihood projects,
stated the resolution.
It noted that, Umali likewise signed the project
proposals and endorsed said NGOs to facilitate the
release of the funds to them.
The funds in question could not have been transferred
to said NGOs if not for their certifications, approvals,
signatures found in the disbursement vouchers and
checks.
Sweet talker nabbed for duping governor of
P500,000
By: Maricar Cinco, Nikon Celis - @inquirerdotnet
Inquirer Southern Luzon / 11:34 PM March 29, 2017
SAN PEDRO CITY The police arrested on Wednesday
afternoon a woman accused of duping a government
official into paying half a million pesos by posing as a
member of the staff of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.
Supt. Harold Depositar, the city police chief, said the
suspect, Michelle Almonte, was arrested at her house
in Barangay San Vicente here at around 3:00 p.m. The
warrnt of arrest was issued by a court in North
Cotabato.
In a phone interview, Depositar said police had been
monitoring Almontes movements since January after
the Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG) coordinated with them.
According to the DILG internal security unit, Almonte
made personal phone calls to acting North Cotabato
Gov. Shirlyn Masacarte-Villanueva and pretended to be
member of Suenos staff.
Almonte supposedly told Villanueva that the province
would need to pay P500,000 to hasten the release of
government patrol cars supposedly for North Cotabato,
Depositar said, quoting the DILG office.
I just talked to her and she really was a sweet talker,
Depositar said, describing the suspect as someone in
her mid-20s.
Depositar said the DILG internal security unit helped
them trace the P500,000 deposit made to Almontes
bank account in January. He said there were also
security camera footage that showed Almonte
withdrawing the amount.
Aside from that, there were two more tranches of
P200,000 and three more tranches of P100,000
deposited to the same account of the suspect,
Depositar said. And those were just in one bank
account. We dont know if there were still others.
Investigators suspect that Almonte also duped other
government officials. But Depositar declined to name
them at the moment.
We believe she was working as part of a syndicate,
he said.
Early in March, the National Bureau of Investigation
arrested Vimbi Flores Avilla, also in this city, for
extorting money from businessmen by posing as
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
The police will file an estafa complaint against
Almonte. Duterte cant appoint village execs, says solon

By: Vince F. Nonato - Reporter / @VinceNonatoINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:30 AM March 27, 2017

President Duterte cannot scrap the barangay elections

scheduled for October and just appoint the roughly
42,000 village chiefs because he is barred by law from
doing so, according to the chair of the House
committee on suffrage and electoral reforms.

The Local Government Code of 1991, or Republic Act

No. 7160, mandates that elections be held for the
chairs and councilors of barangays, according to Rep.
Sherwin Tugna of the Citizens Battle Against
Corruption.

I believe that a certain law has to be amended first.

Which one? The Local Government Code, Tugna said
in a radio interview.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez agreed with Tugnas

view. Of course, we have to amend the Local
Government Code, Alvarez said in a text message.

The Duterte administration is seeking to postpone

barangay elections, claiming that 40 percent of officials
in the countrys 42,028 barangays are either corrupt or
into illegal drugs.

Instead of holding elections, the Duterte administration

intends to appoint around 340,000 barangay chairs
and council members.

Duly elected successors

Existing laws, which must be maintained, do not

provide for appointment of OICs (officers in charge) for
elective barangay positions, another lawmaker said.

In a statement, opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of the

Magnificent Seven bloc said [a]ll barangay elected
officials shall serve until their successors are duly
elected and qualified, unless meanwhile they have
been dismissed for cause.

One of Lagmans fellow Magnificent Seven lawmakers

has compared the plan to the situation under the
Marcos dictatorship.

Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin said on Friday that

barangays had become a machinery to monitor and
control the people during the Marcos regime.

Thats 344,000 people at the beck and call of the

President, Villarin said. If barangay officials are
involved in drugs, let the people kick them out through
the ballot. Give that power to the people not to one
person. Thats the essence of democracy.
Upon Congress resumption on May 2, Tugna said
lawmakers would no longer be limited to the legal
implications of postponing the elections, which have
been deferred from the October 2016 schedule through
RA 10923.
RA 10923 reset the elections to October this year and
extended the tenure of barangay officials in a holdover
capacity.
This would now involve the issue of whether it would
be just plain and simple postponement of the elections
and [retention of officials in a] holdover capacity,
Tugna said.
Or would there be an additional [amendment]? That
there would be no more holdover capacity and new
barangay officials would be appointed instead? the
chair of the committee on suffrage asked.
If this were the case, the committee on local
government would have to be involved in the
deliberations, too, Tugna said.
Compelling reason
At the same time, he said the onus would be on the
potential author of the bill to justify the grant of
appointive powers to the President.
If they show that there is sufficient data that the
drug lords have used their money to influence the
results of barangay elections I believe that is a
compelling reason provided there is data, Tugna said.
But the first preference is for free and open elections,
because it is only there where the best and the
brightest are revealed through fair and square
elections, he said.
Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said he was meeting
with leaders of Congress for them to pass a law that
would postpone the barangay elections.
This early, there are groups asking for money from
those who want to be appointed barangay officials if
barangay elections do not push through in October,
according to Sueno.
Sueno said the Department of the Interior and Local
Government had received reports that groups or
people claiming to be close to Mr. Duterte were asking
for money from those who want to be appointed to
barangay positions.
No mayor dared to speak out
By: Leila B. Salaverria, Maricar Cinco, Marlon Ramos -
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:25 AM January 13, 2017
Normally freezing, the packed Rizal Hall in Malacaang
was hot and hushed and no one dared raise a question
or speak out as President Rodrigo Duterte waved his
thick narcolist, cursed, ranted about his campaign
against illegal drugs and threatened to kill mayors
involved.
Accounts of Mr. Dutertes separate meetings with
around 1,000 mayors in three groupsfrom Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanaoemerged immediately after the
closed-door event on Wednesday that lasted well over
four hours.
In interviews conducted with the mayors later (some
on condition of anonymity and others on the record),
the local officials portrayed the President as at once
funny, at once angry and accusatory, making what one
mayor said were sweeping generalizations against city
and municipal mayors.
The President spoke as if he were God, telling us who
should die and who should live. Its not the way to deal
with the mayors, lamented a mayor from Cavite
province, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Although its very controversial, we fully support the
campaign against illegal drugs. I think not even a
single mayor would disagree with it. But he should
have shown us a little respect because we were also
elected by the people, he said.
Deathly quiet
Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City in Batangas
province appreciated Mr. Dutertes candor.
If the mayor is proven to be involved in illegal drugs,
Halili said, quoting the President, the chief of police
will be replaced and the new one will be the one to
shoot the mayor.
Would you still raise a question? He was already very
clear, Halili said. The chandeliered Rizal Hall was very
quiet as the President spoke, he said.
The mayor said Mr. Duterte warned mayors against the
use of their intelligence funds. If you keep on taking
intelligence funds and nothing improves in terms of
peace and order, then you are just most likely
pocketing the money, he said, quoting Mr. Duterte.
Personally, I was very happy. It served as an eye-
opener to other mayors, he said of the two-hour
meeting the President had with the Luzon group.
Halili, who is called Little Digong because of the
public shaming of crime suspects in his city, said he
agreed 100 percent with Mr. Duterte.
Heart-to-heart talk
In an interview with Radyo Inquirer, Presidential
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar described
the meetings as a highly confidential heart-to-heart
talk. He did not give details.
The Presidents spokesperson, Ernesto Abella, said Mr.
Dutertes directive to chiefs of police to shoot mayors
involved in illegal drugs was not a marching order.
Its just to underline the seriousness of his intention,
Abella said. The rules of engagement and due process
would apply to mayors linked to the drug trade, he
added.
Mr. Duterte had given advance warning to the mayors
of what to expect in a speech on Monday in which he
urged those involved in illegal drugs to repent, resign
or die.
you are not . Dont fool me . Come clean and fight
drugs otherwise you will incur my ire.
Pamintuan said the President told them he had no
plans of declaring martial law, calling it circuitous and
difficult.
He was actually joking at times. But personally, what
irked me is how the President treated us as if majority
of the mayors were drug suspects, said a Cavite
mayor, who asked not to be named.
For me, I really felt threatened. I have never been
disrespected like that in my life. I should not have gone
to that meeting, the mayor added.
Another mayor, who claimed to be Mr. Dutertes
personal friend, said: The President only proved that
he has this tendency to be a dictator. He was supposed
to treat us as partners, but he was clearly imposing on
us.

More than 6,000 people have been killed since the

President mounted his campaign against what he
called a pandemic in July.

Cussing, cracking jokes

His aura was good. He kept cracking jokes, cussing

and discussing Viagra, a Metro Manila mayor said.

Rizal Hall is usually too cold for me, but yesterday, it

was very hot, said Mayor Danilo Fernandez of Sta.
Rosa City in Laguna province.

There was the usual expletives weve all gotten used

to, Fernandez said.

He said Mr. Duterte brandished the thick list

containing names of lawmakers, mayors, village chiefs,
soldiers and military officials allegedly involved in the
illicit drug trade.

Mayor Vicente Loot, a retired police chief

superintendent, of Daanbantayan in Cebu province,
and some judges were mentioned by the President,
Fernandez said.

You could feel his anger at Loot, he said.

Asked for comment, Loot said, I just smiled. I

expected it because Im his favorite. Loot is one of five
high-ranking police officers accused of involvement in
the drug trade.

Come clean, fight drugs

Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan of Angeles City quoted the

President: Help me fight the menace Those who are
involved and are in this thick set of papers, show me
Disqualified Batangas mayor cleared in Ormoc
rape case
By: Robert Dejon - Correspondent / @rdejonINQ
Inquirer Visayas / 04:33 PM December 08, 2016
ORMOC CITY Jay Manalo Ilagan, the disqualified
mayor of Mataas na Kahoy town, Batangas, is now a
free man after a local court here acquitted him of the
charges of rape and human trafficking.
Executive Judge James Clinton Nuevo of the Regional
Trial Court Branch 12 promulgated the ruling Thursday
morning, acquitting Ilagan of the charge that he raped
a 19-year-old woman inside a pension house in 2013,
in Ormoc City.
Judge Nuevo said the complainants testimony was not
credible and trustworthy. He said there were too many
details in her story that did not match verified facts.
Ilagan, in his ruling, said there was enough basis to
doubt the alleged victims credibility in this case,
adding that reasonable doubt constantly hovered
above her supposedly air-tight rape story.
The overriding consideration is not whether the court
doubts the innocence of the accused, but whether it
entertains a reasonable doubt as to their guilt, the
ruling stated.
Ilagan was reelected mayor in the past May elections
while detained in Ormoc City. He, however, was
disqualified by the Commission on Elections because of
his record as a fugitive from justice. He evaded arrest
from 2014 to January 2016 when he surrendered to the
NBI. On July 29, 2016, the Supreme Court affirmed the
decision of the Comelec to disqualify him.
In 2014, a 19-year-old woman sued Ilagan for allegedly
sexually assaulting her in 2013 in a pension house in
Ormoc.
Ilagan eluded arrest even after the polices Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), in December
2015, raided his farm in Barangay Santol in Mataas na
Kahoy. The CIDG reported seizing at least 142 firearms,
among them high-powered guns.
Ilagan surrendered to the National Bureau of
Investigation in Manila in January 2016, but he denied
the charges.
3 mining provinces oppose Lopezs confirmation
as DENR chief
Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat pass
resolutions asking the Commission on Appointments to
reject Gina Lopez
By: Danilo V. Adorador - @inquirerdotnet
Inquirer Mindanao / 12:45 PM May 03, 2017
SURIGAO CITY The provincial boards of three mining
provinces in Caraga passed resolutions opposing the
confirmation of Gina Lopez as secretary of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
In separate resolutions passed this week, the provincial
legislative bodies of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur
and Dinagat expressed apprehension over the potential
effects of Lopezs order to shut down mine operations
in their respective areas.
Provincial legislators also criticized Lopez for
supposedly failing to conduct adequate consultations
with local government units affected by her decisions.
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From 2013 to 2015, revenues from excise taxes in the
Surigao and Agusan provinces alone totaled P2.1
billion, records from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau
show.
Lopez had ordered the closure of at least six mining
firms in the two Surigao provinces and seven in
Dinagat early this year, following a nationwide mine
audit and its findings have been contested by the
affected companies.
It would be presumptuous for any national official to
think that she knows, and cares for, what is good for
the Province better than anyone, including the Province
itself, read the resolution passed by the Surigao del
Norte Provincial Board.
Any unilateral, arbitrary and imperious imposition of
the will of the State without consulting the local
governments is anathema to the spirit of autonomy
and federalism and is undemocratic, it added.
According to the resolution, Surigao del Norte stands to
lose at least P40 billion in investments and P8 billion
in social development and infrastructure programs for
the next 10 years. Mine closures would also mean the
loss of 12,000 jobs, it said.
In Dinagat, a mineral reservation since the 1930s,
Provincial Board Member Nilo Demerey said the
province would lose P64 million in annual revenues,
which has constituted 75 percent of its yearly
operating income.
Dinagat has long been a declared mineral land
because of its unique geographical makeup. If you take
mining from us, our economy will surely die, Board
Member Demerey told Philippine Daily Inquirer.
A Provincial Board resolution passed by Demerey and
his colleagues called on President Rodrigo Duterte to
review Secretary Lopezs arbitrary actions and illegal
orders.
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In Surigao del Sur, Gov. Vicente Pimentel challenged
Lopez to hold a plebiscite in the province to determine
whether Surigaonons would like mining operations to
continue or not.
She (Lopez) disrespected our inherent right to
manage our own affairs and our own resources. So its
better to ask all our constituents whether they like
mining or not to put the question to rest, once and for
all, Gov. Pimentel told Inquirer in a phone interview.
Mining towns are set to lose more than half of their
local revenues in the wake of Lopezs orders, according
to data from the Department of Finance (DoF).
In Cantilan town, Surigao del Sur, Mayor Philip Pichay
said his municipality would lose P20 million in taxes
next year if the lone nickel miner in the town were to
close down. The tax revenue has represented over 50
percent of the municipalitys annual tax collection, he
added.
DoF said Carrascal, Surigao del Sur, would lose P198.3
million, or 62.3 percent of its total operating income;
Tagana-an in Surigao del Norte would lose P70.3
million, or 54 percent of its income; and the
municipality of Tubajon in the Dinagat Islands would
lose P38 million, which represents 55.4 percent of its
total operating income.
The opposition from the two Surigao and Dinagat
provinces comes on the heels of Tuesdays
confirmation hearing, where Lopez faced the
Commission on Appointments (CA) whose members
bypassed her appointment twice.
CA members are voting on Wednesday (May 3),
whether to reject or approve Lopezs appointment. A
rejection meant that President Duterte must choose a
replacement for Lopez.
DOT counts on local governments to attain
regional tourism growth
By Philippine News Agency on January 11, 2017
TACLOBAN CITYThe Department of Tourism (DOT)
lauded some local government units in Eastern Visayas
for incorporating tourism programs in their local
development plans.
DOT Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa
Tiopes was pleased that some local government units
in the region had realized the contribution of tourism to
economic development.
But focusing on tourism is not an easy task as it
requires proper planning to ensure that it will align to
the overall objective of local governments.
Last year, the tourism department assisted local
government units in crafting their tourism master plan
for 2017, incorporating their inputs in the regional
tourism master plan.
We asked them if what their priorities are, how can we
and the stakeholders helped them and what are the
help that they need from the DOT, said Tiopes.
But for local tourism program to become successful,
the region should be promoted as a whole and not just
by province, according to the official.
Each of the six provinces in the region has unique
destinations to offer Biri Rock Formations in Northern
Samar, Calicoan Island in Eastern Samar, Sohoton Cave
in Samar, Sambawan Island in Biliran, diving sites in
Southern Leyte, and Kalanggaman Island in Leyte
province.
Promoting the regions tourism potential as a whole is
one of the programs that Leyte Governor Leopoldo
Dominico Petilla wants to push through this year.
Petilla said that to promote the region in unison, the
provincial government will construct a hub at the
Government Center in Palo town for intensive
promotion of all tourist destinations in the region.
Tourists will just check the place where they can go in
the region and avail of the packages offered, Petilla
said.
The readiness of the community in tourism and to
accept development is also a major factor in tourism
development, according to the governor.
We may not be as popular like other places in the
Philippines, but we wanted to make a statement that
our services here are comparable to what they offer.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan, on her part, is glad
that local officials in their province now realize the
tourism potential of their respective locality.
But the aggressiveness of the local government to
promote their areas for tourism must be carefully
planned to ensure sustainable tourism, she added.
The governor acknowledges the problem on
accessibility and security as some of the factors that
might affect the full blast promotion of Samar province
in tourism.
We need to address this problem including other
needs of our tourist like on food supply and souvenir
items, Tan told PNA.
Tan added that this year, the provincial government is
preparing additional areas in the province to be
included in the Samar tourism campaign launched in
2015.
For this year, the provincial government has listed the
towns of Calbiga, Jiabong, San Jorge and Calbayog City
as part of the Spark Samar campaign. This is on top of
priority towns identified earlier Basey, Marabut, Sta
Rita, Pinabacdao and Paranas.
But some of these places are not tourist-ready like San
Jorge due to setback in accessibility and security.
We cannot just go for marketing if the place is not yet
ready. Once we fail, our efforts will be gone forever,
she said.
Due to upgrading of local tourism-related facilities in
2016, the DOT and stakeholders had raised the seven
percent annual growth target in previous years to 15 to
20 percent in 2017.
ARMM police chief: Well retrain, transform bad
cops
By: Julliane Love De Jesus - Reporter / @JLDejesusINQ
INQUIRER.net / 01:20 PM February 02, 2017
People concerned about unscrupulous cops being sent
to Mindanao have nothing to worry because these
policemen will eventually be reoriented, retrained,
reformed and transformed, assured the chief of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
regional police.
ARMM regional police head Chief Supt. Reuben
Theodore Sindac said a total of 151 scalawags in
uniform have been reassigned to his area as the
Philippine National Police (PNP) started cleansing its
ranks following the killing of South Korean businessman
Jee Ick-joo.
In a press statement, Sindac addressed concerns
raised by Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III and
ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman about the
PNP transferring undisciplined cops, including those
involved in illegal drug activities, to Mindanao.
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READ: Pimentel to PNP: Dont send erring cops to
Mindanao as punishment
Sindac said that these personnel will be limited to
administrative functions where they were closely
monitored and accounted for.
He said their reassignment to ARMM, which is
composed of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao,
Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces, will prevent them from
going back to their old ways and would also deny them
from furthering their connections to illegal crime
syndicates.
This transfer of personnel is also happening in other
region. As a matter of fact, narco cops from Mindanao
were likewise reassigned to other regions in Luzon for
the same reasons, he said.
In this process, the personnel will eventually be
reoriented, retrained, reformed and transformed,
Sindac added.
The regional director also pointed out that the 151 bad
cops assigned to ARMM are merely 2.2% out of the
6,727 total strength of dedicated police officers there
doing operational and sensitive peacekeeping
functions.
This approach will give them another chance that will
either redeem or end their careers in this region, he
said.
In an earlier interview, PNP chief Director General
Ronald Bato dela Rosa said sending rogue cops to far- QC cops in extortion case sent to ARMM, despite
flung areas is one way of disrupting their illegal govs plea
operations, although he said only 2 percent of the
165,000-strong police force are engaging in nefarious
activities. By: Jhesset O. Enano - Reporter / @JhessetEnanoINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:34 AM January 29, 2017

The three members of the Quezon City Police District

(QCPD) who allegedly tried to extort money from a
suspects family have been ordered reassigned to the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),
adding to the long list of officers sent to the southern
region.

The order came a week after ARMM Gov. Mujiv

Hataman asked the Philippine National Police to
reconsider its practice of transferring rogue cops to his
region, considered the countrys poorest, as a form of
punishment.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, QCPD director,

said the reassignment of PO3 Aprilito Santos, PO3
Ramil Dazo and PO3 Joseph Merin was ordered by
President Rodrigo Duterte, and that they would still be
facing administrative and criminal complaints.

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The case against Santos, Dazo and Merin stemmed

from the complaint of Iluminada Leetiong, who alleged
that the officers asked for P120,000 when they came to
their house on Jan. 19 to serve arrest warrants on her
son Raymond. The younger Leetiong is an accused in a
cybercrime case pending in the Muntinlupa Regional
Trial Court.

The three policemen were then reporting to warrant

and subpoena section of the QCPD. Records showed
that they had received dozens of medals for exemplary
service since joining the PNP.

In December 2016, three police officers formerly

assigned with the Tactical Motorized Unit were also
sent to ARMM after they were accused of extorting a
million pesos from drug suspects arrested a month
earlier. Four more officers tagged in a robbery-extortion
complaint were also sent to the region in November.

In a statement on Jan. 17, Hataman asked the PNP to

stop treating his region as a trash bin for rogue cops.

The region confronts issues such as poverty, hunger

and the rise of terror groups, and we need the best of
our countrys police, [not] the worst, he said.
More than a motherhood statement
By: Jocelyn R. Uy - Reporter / @mj_uyINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:31 AM January 29, 2017
As a young boy, Alih Sali would hear stories of mothers
and their babies dying during childbirth because of
poverty, the lack of knowledge on health issues and
the need to endure long travel on rough roads to get to
the nearest hospital in town, the former police
inspector and now vice mayor of Akbar, Basilan,
recalled.
But going around the province as a police officer made
Sali realize how other towns had grappled with the
same problem and made their health systems work.
I asked myself, If they can do it, why cant I? Sali to the birthing clinic. Mothers who seek professional
said at recent rites that honored a growing number of
local chiefs who have become health champions in the
conflict-stricken Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM).
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Sali was among the local leaders from 19 municipalities
in the ARMM recognized for completing the two-year
health leaders for the poor program under the Zuellig
Family Foundation (ZFF). The health leadership and
governance program was a partnership among the ZFF,
the Department of Health and the United States
Agency for International Development.
Under the program, mayors and municipal health
officers were trained on leadership and service delivery
and were expected to improve health indicators in their
areas using as roadmap the World Health
Organizations six building blocks of health. These are:
leadership and governance; health-care financing;
health workforce; medical products and technologies;
information and research, and service delivery.
Also recognized for wielding their power to save the
lives of pregnant mothers and newborn babies were
Mayor Rahiema Salih of Tandubas, a third-class
municipality in Tawi-Tawi, and Rauf Talib Mastura of
Sultan Mastura in Maguindanao.
The Philippines has one of the highest maternal
mortality rates in Southeast Asia. In 2015, there were
roughly 114 mothers dying in childbirth per 100,000
live births in the country, way beyond the Millennium
Development Goal target of 52 women per 100,000
live births.
A new target has been set under the Sustainable
Development Goal, which has countries committing to
reduce global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70
per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Folk healers
Sali recalled how, in the early years following the
creation of Akbar, the nearest public and private
hospitals in Lamitan were almost two hours away,
which often discouraged residents from seeking proper
medical treatment. Their only option, he added, were
folk healers for the sick, and the panday and hilot
for women who prefer to give birth at home.
In 2013, an incident that had a mother and her
newborn dying 24 hours apart jolted Sali enough to ask
religious leaders to use their Friday sermons to
convince mothers to go to health facilities for
childbirth.
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Traditional healers and panday and hilot were also
recruited as barangay health workers who were given a
P1,000-incentive for every pregnant mother they bring
medical help were compensated as well with a free
birth certificate. At the same time, Sali enacted an
ordinance to mete out stiff penalties to traditional
healers who stubbornly practice their trade.
The first to be chastised by the ordinance was his own
grandmother who was summoned to the police
precinct to pay a P1,000-fine for initial offense. Sali
said his poor grandmother had to ask money from him
for the penalty.
I gave her the money in exchange for her promise not
to assist pregnant women at home anymore,
recounted Sali, who was appointed mayor in 2006 of
the then newly created and impoverished municipality
of Akbar.
At first, it was hard to convince traditional healers to
stop the practice that put many mothers and babies in
danger. But a monthly gathering with the municipal
health officer slowly reshaped their beliefs and habits
and made them well-informed barangay health
workers, said Sali.
No IRA
Since 2014, Akbar has managed to achieve zero
maternal and newborn deaths and improve facility-
based deliveries from a dismal five percent in 2013, to
94 percent this year.
This, without having a share in the Internal Revenue
Allotment (IRA) for nearly a decade now, the mayor
pointed out.
Salih has a similar story of reversing the chronic health
problems of Tandubas, but only after she overcame the
rift between her and the municipal health officer, and
realized that collaboration between them was
important.
It was not because we were fighting, Salih said in a
speech. We just didnt have enough reason to
collaborate except on occasions when the rural health
unit needed extra money or I needed to address an
event as mayor, she added.
I also heard things about the municipal health officer
that I didnt like, Salih said. But the frosty relations
thawed when the leadership program brought them
together.
In 2014, the two officials sat down for the first time to
map out an action plan to address maternal and infant
deaths and other health issues in this town located
northeast of Tawi-Tawi.
The rate of facility-based deliveries also surged from a
dismal 23 percent in 2013 to 60 percent in the first half
of 2016, he added.
The municipalities that reached the 90-percent target
were Taraka and Masiu in Lanao del Sur; Sultan
Mastura in Maguindanao; Sibutu in South Ubian;
Tandubas in Tawi-Tawi; Kalingalan Caluang in Sulu, and
Akbar in Basilan.

The renewed alliance resulted in zero maternal deaths

in Tandubas since last year and a surge in facility-
based deliveries from 85 percent in 2015 to 90 percent
this year.

Mastura meanwhile worked to sustain the gains made

by his predecessor, his father Armando, in eliminating
maternal deaths and fixing poor health-seeking
behavior among pregnant mothers in Sultan Mastura.

Despite the absence of a municipal health officer and

public health nurses, the small town of less than 5,000
households has been recognized as one of the first two
ARMM municipalities to have reached the national
target of 90 percent in facility-based deliveries and
skilled birth attendance.

To stem the persistent problem of womens preference

for home births, Mastura worked with his health team
on a program that gave pregnant women priority
coverage under the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.
(PhilHealth), on condition that they complete four
prenatal checkups.

Among Muslims, mothers weigh three times more than

fathers. It only goes to show how important mothers
are in our society, said Mastura.

The strategy raised the rate of facility-based deliveries

and skilled birth attendance to 91 percent middle of
last year.

We achieved these results through dedication,

teamwork, proper programs, tight coordination and
right incentives, Mastura said, referring to the
midwives share in incentives under PhilHealths
maternal care package.

Good governance

We celebrate because we have more Moro health

champions whose good governance practices will
reduce health inequities in their region, which is the
poorest in the country, said ZFF chair Roberto Romulo
at the culmination of the health leadership and
governance program.

Romulo said the ratio of births assisted by skilled birth

attendants in the 19 ARMM towns rose from 54 percent
in 2013 to 75 percent on the first half of 2016.
4 killed, 10 soldiers wounded in antidrug
operation vs mayor
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:12 AM January 28, 2017
COTABATO CITYFour gunmen protecting the mayor of
a Maguindanao town listed as a drug suspect were
killed in a clash with lawmen trying to serve a search
warrant on the official on Thursday, authorities said.
ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said the regional
government continues to support Mr. Dutertes war on
drugs.
Narcopoliticians
Several other Maguindanao officials are also being
linked to the drug trade, including Talitay Mayor
Montasir Sabal, who is now in hiding.

At least 10 soldiers were wounded in the clash, which
broke out as a team of policemen and soldiers were
entering the town of Ampatuan to search the houses of
Mayor Rasul Sangki and his men.
Senior Supt. Jimmy Daza, head of the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said the team was
in the village of Saniag when they were met with heavy
gunfire.
We support the Presidents campaign even in the
judicious use of intelligence funds in the maintenance
of law and order, Hataman said.
ARMM Interior Secretary Noor Hafizullah Abdullah said
the region, as part of the war on drugs, also wants to
establish drug- and crime-free communities.

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State witness

Daza said reports reaching police were not clear if

Sangki was with the armed men.

Sangki is a state witness in the 2009 Maguindanao

massacre. Last year, President Duterte named him as
among mayors and other officials involved in the drug
trade.

Sangki vehemently denied involvement in drugs and

went to Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police
headquarters, to clear his name.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao police director,

said the operation against Sangki and his men is
continuing and backed by two MG-520 attack
helicopters. Sporadic gunfire continued until early last
night.

Myrna Jo Henry, speaking for the ARMMs Humanitarian

Emergency Action Response Team, said the ARMM
government has given aid to displaced families from
the village of Salman and areas nearby.

Displacement

Many of them left without much valuables, Henry

told the Inquirer after distributing food packs to
displaced families at the municipal gymnasium of
Ampatuan on Thursday.

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Some told us they left behind their work animals such

as horses and carabaos as well as their produce,
Henry said.

They had just harvested corn and palay, she said. No

civilian was hurt in the clash, Henry said.
Some lawmakers got P5B pork in 2017 budget, Lacson and neophyte Senator Sherwin Gatchalian did
says Lacson not vote for the Senate ratification of this years
national budget.
By: Maila Ager - Reporter / @MAgerINQ

INQUIRER.net / 01:14 PM January 04, 2017

Some lawmakers had been allegedly given up to P5

billion pork allocations in the 2017 national budget,
Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed on Wednesday.

While the Senate was deliberating the 2017 budget in

the plenary, Lacson said congressmen from the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( ARMM)
came to see him pleading for their case.

Inabot nga kami ng 10 p.m. sa office ko explaining in

so many words, thus buti nga daw sila, tig-P1.5
billion lang na projects. Yung iba raw congressmen abot
ng tig-P5 billion, he said in a statement, quoting the
ARMM lawmakers who approached him.

Change is coming? Maybe, pero its pork allocations

changing hands from LP congressmen to those from
Mindanao, the senator said, referring to the former
ruling Liberal Party.

Unlike congressmen, Lacson said, some of his

colleagues had been asked to identify a list of projects
amounting to P300 million only.

At least two of my colleagues commented in the

lounge during session suspensions: Sobra naman
sila tayo ngang mga senador, tig P300-M lang he
said.

By the way, I did not submit my P300-million list of

projects. Senators Tito Sotto and Kiko Pangilinan
approached me on separate occasions to inform me
that they too did not submit. I dont know who else
among my Senate colleagues likewise did not submit
their list.

I am not stupid. Filipinos are not stupid. They are just

resigned, I think. After all these years that I and my
staff scrutinize the budget books year in and year out, I
know pork when I see it, he said.

Lacson said those who identified projects in the 2017

budget would not get commissions from contractors.

What Im trying to say is Filipinos are made to believe

that the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund)
is dead after the SC (Supreme Court) ruling in 2013. I
am not stupid. Filipinos are not stupid. They are just
resigned, I think. After all these years that I and my
staff scrutinize the budget books year in and year out, I
know pork when I see it, he said.

I believe our people, especially our taxpayers, should

know the real score behind all these pretenses and
denials about the existence of pork, the senator
added.
Taguiwalo appeals for resumption of peace talks
By: Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Leila B. Salaverria -
@inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:48 AM February 18, 2017
Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Friday
appealed anew for the resumption of peace
negotiations between the government and communist
rebels, citing civilian casualties in the renewed armed
conflict.
Taguiwalo said the social workers of the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the
Cordillera Administrative Region are assisting nearly
400 villagers who fled their homes in Asipulo, Ifugao,
after soldiers attacked a suspected camp of New
Peoples Army rebels in Sitio Pinugao, Barangay Namal,
in the municipality on Feb. 12.
At least one villager died from exposure outside the
evacuation center, she said.
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Taguiwalo, who was appointed by President Rodrigo
Duterte on the recommendation of the National
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), said having
civilians caught in the crossfire is a very compelling
reason to resume the peace talks.
We must all support calls for the resumption of the
peace negotiations. Armed conflict often leads to
violations of the rights of civilians Their lives are put
in danger, she said.
Clashes between the military and the rebels erupted
this month after the NDFPs declaration terminating its
own unilateral ceasefire, citing the nonrelease of 400
political prisoners and military incursions on rebel-
controlled areas.
Mr Duterte terminated the peace negotiations on Feb.
4.
The DSWD said 98 families, or 398 villagers, including
107 children, had been staying in five evacuation
centers in Asipulo.
Meanwhile, Malacaang on Friday insisted that
communist rebels show confidence-building measures
to prove their sincerity in talking peace, after the
Ecumenical Bishops Forum urged President Duterte to
keep walking toward peace.
Solon pushes 3 more districts for Quezon
By: Delfin T. Mallari Jr. - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:10 AM January 21, 2017
LUCENA CITYHouse Minority Leader Danilo Suarez
has proposed to split Quezon province into seven
legislative districts, saying this would meet
socioeconomic and political demands as the province
continues to grow.
The disproportionate number of constituents for each
of Quezons [four] representatives hampers their ability
to reach out and provide adequate representation in
Congress, Suarez, who represents Quezons third
district, said in House Bill No. 4072, which he
sponsored.
Under HB 4072, Suarez proposed the following
districts: District 1 (northern Quezon), District 1B
(central Quezon), Lone district of Lucena City, District
2, Bondoc Peninsula district, Lamon Bay Area district
and Ragay Gulf district.
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District 1, with a combined population of 291,493, will
be composed of the towns of Real, Infanta, General
Nakar, Mauban, Polilio, Jomalig, Patnanungan,
Panukulan and Burdeos.
District 1B (240,184) will be composed of Lucban,
Pagbilao, Sampaloc and Tayabas City, while the towns
of San Antonio, Tiaong, Dolores, Candelaria and
Sariaya will become District 2 (428,484).
The capital Lucena City (266,248), currently with the
second district, will become a separate district.
Bondoc Peninsula district (325,565) will be composed
of Padre Burgos, Agdangan, Unisan, Pitogo, Macalelon,
General Luna, Catanauan, Mulanay and San Francisco
towns.
The towns of Atimonan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Lopez,
Calauag, Alabat, Perez and Quezon will form the Lamon
Bay area district (359,581) while the Ragay Gulf district
(211,275) will be composed of San Andres, San
Narciso, Buenavista, Guinayangan and Tagkawayan
towns.
Suarez said the additional representatives for Quezon
will require an extra P24-million to P30-million
allocation in the annual national budget.
Asked about Suarezs proposal, Rep. Trina Enverga of
the first district said: Im keeping my option open.
Proposals for redistricting may be discussed better
once Charter change started to roll as the proposed
federal setup entails a national redistricting of
legislative districts.
Samar governor urges PNP to dismantle private I just hope that they will really mean business in
armed groups dismantling PAGS, the governor said.

By: Joey A. Gabieta - Correspondent / @joeygabietaINQ
Inquirer Visayas / 12:49 PM March 12, 2017
TACLOBAN CITY Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan has
asked the police to stop the violence in her province
believed to be the handiwork of private armed groups
(PAGS) funded by politicians.
Farnacio said he had written letters to politicians
believed to be running the private armed groups.
If the parties involve will stop paying or sponsoring
PAGS, they will stop operating. We will hit them,
nothing personal. We will do our job, Farnacio said.
Farnacio, however, declined to identify the politicians.

The governor said that while she could use her position
as the chair of the Regional Peace and Order Council
for Eastern Visayas (RPOC-8) to solve the problem, she
opted to first ask the police and avoid accusations of
bias.

Some of those involved are on the other side of the

(political) fence. They are not our political allies. Thus I
have asked the Philippine National Police, through
Regional Director (Chief Supt. Elmer) Beltejar, to
address the problem, Tan said.

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She was referring to the apparent violence between

Mayor Joseph Grey of San Jorge town and Lester Bisnar.
Grey is a rival of the governor while Bisnar is an ally.

Bisnar has accused Grey of masterminding the ambush

that killed his mother, Luz, who was gunned down after
attending Mass on Feb. 19.

Bisnar also claimed that Grey was behind the attempt

on his life on Jan. 28.

Grey denied both allegations and maintained that his

and his familys lives were in danger.

Last Jan.31, bombs were lobbed at his house while his

wife, Vice Mayor Nancy Grey, survived an ambush on
Feb.6.

Beltejar vowed to solve the incidents in the province

and to dismantle the private armed groups being
financed by local politicians to either harass or kill
rivals.

A group, dubbed as Task Force Cagasmas, was

launched on Oct. 12, 2016, to go after private armed
groups.

Cagasmas stands for Calbayog City and the towns of

Gandara, San Jorge, Matuguinao, and Sta. Rita, where
private armed groups are believed to be operating.

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Tan said she hoped that the task force, led by the 8th
Infantry Division under Major Gen. Raul Farnacio, could
rid the province of PAGS.
Cops, VACC clash over tanim droga
Central Luzon police chief says men demoralized,
disputes anticrime groups claim that lawmen planted
drugs on suspects
By: Tonette Orejas - @ttorejasINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:26 AM May 17, 2017
CAMP OLIVAS, PAMPANGA Tension has erupted
between the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon
and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption
(VACC) chapter in Pampanga province over allegations
that policemen had planted illegal drugs on suspects
arrested in two drug busts in April.
Why is VACC claiming that our policemen [in
Mabalacat City and Bacolor town, both in Pampanga]
are into tanim droga? There is no tanim droga. VACC
should conduct its own investigation before making
any allegations, Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, the regions
police director, said during a press briefing on Monday.
Saying he was angry and emotional, Aquino
defended his men who, he noted, were demoralized
by a claim made by Pyra Lucas, VACC Pampanga head.
But we need not resort to doing tanim droga in the
face of risks accompanying antidrug operations, he
said.
The Central Luzon police needed to clear 245 villages
that have records in drug use and trading. At the start
of the campaign last year, more than 2,000 villages in
Central Luzon were affected by illegal drugs.
In the Bacolor buy bust, everything was proper, said
Supt. Williard Vias, deputy chief of the IAS in
Pampanga. Four policemen, including the towns police
chief, await reinstatement.
Gov. Lilia Pineda said the provincial government would
wait for the advice of the Civil Service Commission on
the employment of Wilhelmo Galura, 52, a principal
suspect in the Bacolor buy bust.
Galura, a provincial government employee, was one of
the suspects who claimed he was being set up by the
police. He eluded arrest during the police operation on
April 26. A police informant said he was seen last week
in the company of Lucas.

Lucas had claimed that Mabalacat policemen planted

shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) on six men
they arrested in Barangay Dau in Mabalacat City on
April 24.

Lucas, who lost the mayoral race in Mabalacat in 2016,

could not be reached for comment.

Aquino relieved Supt. Juritz Rara, Mabalacat police

chief, and Senior Insp. Melvin Florida, the citys drug
enforcement unit head, as the PNPs internal affairs
service (IAS) began investigating the incident.

[Lucas] wants me to throw in Mindanao the policemen

she has been accusing of tanim droga. But I adhere to
due process, Aquino said, adding that VACC always
objects to things.

Why wont it (VACC) simply help the police? he

asked.

A local prosecutor dismissed the case filed by the

police against the six men, not due to fabricated
evidence but because the site of the drug bust was not
well-lit for policemen to see the signal indicating they
should move in for the arrest.

Police said they were filing a motion for

reconsideration.

Aquino admitted that the Central Luzon police were in

a rush for accomplishment in the Duterte
administrations war against illegal drugs.
8 PNP execs in W. Visayas face admin cases for
drug link
By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr. - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:05 AM December 30, 2016
ILOILO CITYEight more police officials in the Western
Visayas region, who were included on President
Dutertes list of government workers linked to the
illegal drug trade, are facing administrative complaints
in the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
Complaints for conduct unbecoming of a police officer
have been filed by a Napolcom investigation team in
the Napolcom regional office against Supt. Ipil Dueas,
former intelligence officer of the Iloilo City police, and
Supt. Ronald Gepana, former chief of the regional
police intelligence unit.
Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz and Superintendents
Noel Lamsis, Richard Gomboc and Roderick Condag
and Chief Inspectors Vicente Vicente and Kenneth Ray
Militar have been charged with incompetence and
gross neglect of duty.
De la Paz is former Guimaras provincial police director
and former chief of the directorial staff of the Negros
Island Region Police Office, while Lamsis is former chief
of the antiillegal drugs task force in Antique province.
Gomboc was assigned in the regional police office
while Vicente and Condag were under the Iloilo
provincial police. Militar is former chief of the Molo
district police station in Iloilo City.
Last month, administrative complaints were also filed
by the Napolcom against four police officials who had
been linked to the illegal drug trade.
They were among the 19 policemen in Western Visayas
named by the President as suspected protectors of the
illegal drug trade, an allegation that the police officers
had repeatedly denied.
Napoleon Arostique, chief of the technical services
division of the Napolcom in Western Visayas, said the
complaints against six others had been dismissed for
lack of jurisdiction because these officials had retired
from the service.
Arostique said those charged would be allowed to
present evidence to refute the charges in a summary
dismissal hearing of the Napolcom.