Marcos Regime Type Corruption Thrives
in Duterte’s Philippines
Although
massive corruption has been ongoing in the Philippines for some time bad
governance under the Duterte administration has made a bad situation even
worse. Some of the reports of corrupt government officials featured in the news
recently include:
Solicitor
General Calida owns security agency with government contracts closed during
Duterte administration
Value
of Siargao real estate purchase by House Speaker Alvarez grossly exceeds 2016
SALN
Tourism
Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo pays her two brothers Php60 million for ad placements
in their PTV-4 show
Thus
far the worst appears to be the abolition of the Presidential Commission on
Good Government, the Philippine government agency tasked to recover the
ill-gotten Marcos plunder. See:
Congress
abolishes PCGG and OGCC
The
root of the swelling corruption is Duterte himself.
***
DUTERTE
IS MASSIVELY CORRUPT—FOLLOW THE LEADER!
Duterte
admits Php200 million in undeclared cash assets
Duterte
SALN in violation of Philippine law massively understates assets
Prima
facie evidence of Duterte plunder worth over Php700 million
11,000
ghost employees in Davao City
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/783357/trillanes-sues-duterte-for-plunder-over-alleged-ghost-employees-in-davao
Mayor
of Davao City owns 41 real estate properties
Duterte
list of undeclared real estate properties
P.
Guevara property undeclared in SALN in violation of Philippine law
Duterte
common-law wife receives Php200 million in bank deposits
Paolo
Duterte “Smuggling King” of Davao
Pork
barrel alive and well
Massive
overspending for ASEAN events
Corrupt,
deeply suspect, crony, and fly-by-night companies close multibillion Communist
China deals
Duterte
Refuses to Sign Bank Secrecy Waiver to Disprove Hidden Wealth Allegations
Duterte
will allow the Marcos family to keep part of their stolen loot while granting
them immunity from criminal prosecution
Duterte
manufactures mutant narratives about family wealth
Evidence
of Duterte plunder in Anti-Money Laundering Council bank records of billions in
transactions
Duterte
buys Php80 million total insurance for his four children, purchases far
exceeding his publicly declared income
Duterte
and Sarah fail to declare Php100 million investments
Debut
of Duterte’s daughter lavish and profligate
AMLC
refuses to cooperate with Ombudsman
Trillanes
alleges massive corruption of Duterte family
Duterte
appoints his own henchmen to investigate allegations that he is massively
corrupt
Public domain photo
ReplyDeletePhoto link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigo_Duterte%27s_August_7,_2016_speech#/media/File:Rodrigo_Duterte_delivers_his_message_to_the_Filipino_community_in_Vietnam_during_a_meeting_on_September_28.jpg
Gonzalinho
P570M WORTH OF DAVAO CITY SPENDING, ACCOUNTS IN 2017 LACKED DOCUMENTS – COA
ReplyDeleteState auditors make strongly-worded observations regarding procurement of medicines, school equipment, infrastructure projects, and inventory of supplies
Lian Buan @lianbuan
Rappler.com
Published 4:32 PM, May 22, 2018
Updated 4:33 PM, May 22, 2018
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) has raised several red flags over Davao City's finances in 2017, noting that P569.855 million worth of spending and accounts lacked supporting documents.
The state auditors' observations – that the transactions were not transparent and their validity was doubtful – are included in the report on President Rodrigo Duterte's home city published on the COA website recently.
They made strongly-worded observations regarding the following:
•Procurement of medicines
•School equipment
•Infrastructure projects
•Inventory of supplies
Link: https://www.rappler.com/nation/203101-davao-city-government-lack-supporting-documents-audit-report-2017?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nation
Gonzalinho
MR CALIDA, READ THE RULES!
ReplyDeleteResigning from a private company is not enough. Divestment for public officials who own substantial shares is mandatory.
By Marites Dañguilan Vitug @maritesdvitug
Rappler.com
Published 7:00 PM, May 31, 2018
Updated 10:56 AM, June 04, 2018
The conflict of interest is as clear as day. But Solicitor General Jose Calida and his defenders in Malacañang want us to believe that there is none. Zero.
Please don't take us for fools.
Here are the facts:
- Calida owns 60% of the shares in a family-owned company, Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Incorporated.
- This security agency bagged contracts worth P261.39 million since Calida was appointed the government’s lawyer in July 2016. (Details here and here)
- He did not divest his majority shares in his family-owned company.
- He resigned his posts as chairman and president of Vigilant before he became solicitor general.
- His wife, Milagros Calida, and children Josef, Michelle, and Mark Jorel own the rest of the shares (10% for each).
Unclean hands
Now, Calida finds shelter in the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, saying he had resigned his posts, thus he did not need to divest his substantial shares. It was one of two options offered by the law, he argues, and he had complied with Republic Act 6713. In effect, he’s saying, “Look, my hands are clean.”
Far from it, Mr Calida. There are leopard spots all over your hands.
Let’s go over the rules that give life to RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. These are known as the IRR or implementing rules and regulations.
Rule IX – Conflict of Interest and Divestment – of the IRR explicitly states that when a conflict of interest arises, an official has 60 days to divest his shares from the time he assumed office. Divestment is mandatory if the official is a substantial stockholder “even if [he has] resigned from his position.”
Thus, resigning is not enough.
There’s more: divestment, the rules say, should be to a person or persons “other than his spouse or relatives.” Remember, the rest of the shareholders in Vigilant are the Calida wife and children.
A lawyer who has combed through the IRR of this basic law that serves as the bible of ethical conduct in government tells me: “By admitting that he (Calida) is owner of 60% of the shares, he already violated the IRR, which has the force and effect of law.”
He thinks that Calida and his defenders are doing sloppy work. They only read the law but not the IRR.
I tend to take a different view. Calida should know the IRR, being the government’s top lawyer. It looks like he may be deliberately setting us off-track to save himself.
Link: https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/203737-jose-calida-read-the-rules-ethics-public-office
Gonzalinho
DUTERTE ON CALIDA: WHY SHOULD I FIRE HIM?
ReplyDeletePublished May 30, 2018 4:58pm
By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday stood by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who is under fire over government contracts secured by his family’s security agency.
Duterte made the remark as opposition lawmakers called on Calida to resign or for Duterte to remove the government’s top lawyer amid allegations of conflict of interest.
“Matagal na ’yang security guard [agency] niya. Why should I fire him? He’s good. Bakit wala na ba tayong katuwiran magnegosyo? Duterte said in a speech following the condemnation of smuggled motorcycles and vehicles at the Port of Manila.
“As long as we do not participate [in the management of the company]...Why do you have to impute or attribute malice there?”
Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. was reported to have secured contracts worth over P150 million with the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) from 2015 to 2018.
Malacañang had said it was not illegal for Calida to own shares of VISAI found to have bagged state contracts even if he is already in government.
The Palace also said conflict of interest would only come into play if Calida was the approving authority of the multi-million peso contracts.
Link: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/655103/duterte-on-calida-why-should-i-fire-him/story/?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=news
Gonzalinho
SISYPHUS’ LAMENT
ReplyDeleteARE CALIDA’S SECURITY CONTRACTS LEGAL?
By: Oscar Franklin Tan - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:10 AM June 04, 2018
…One moves to the general conflict rules under RA 6713 (1989), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.
This law defines “conflict of interest” as including “a substantial interest in a business, and the interest of such corporation…may be opposed to or affected by the faithful performance of official duty.”
Calida argues this cannot apply. The solicitor general neither approves contracts with nor regulates security agencies. On TV, he promised to divest should an actual conflict arise, such as a government agency suing Visai.
The other general law is RA 3019 (1960), the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. This punishes using one’s office to influence a government contract or having “pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity.”
Calida argues he never intervened, and Visai, in fact, lost three recent public biddings.
So how is black letter law invoked here?
Link: http://opinion.inquirer.net/113670/calidas-security-contracts-legal#ixzz5I0LdemS8
Tan illustrates well the legal casuistry that so pervasively—and corrosively—characterizes the Philippine legal system. It should be hardly necessary for us to point out Calida’s obvious conflict of interest.
Calida owns a controlling interest—60 percent—of a small business bidding for government contracts in the hundreds of millions of pesos, the outcomes of which are readily manipulated by the government institutions—executive, legislative, or judicial—granting the government contracts. Bidding outcomes may be used as rewards or threats, as the case may be, in order to accomplish the goals of the respective institutions. In this particular instance, Congress grants the contract to Calida’s firm as a reward for his successful pursuit of the quo warranto case against Sereno, a result that coincides with Congress’ intention to oust Sereno.
Does the Solicitor General act according to the directives of the executive branch, that is, according to his proper mandate, or is he beholden to the dictates of the government institutions that are evaluating the bids of his rent-seeking firm? Are we supposed to answer this question at all?
With respect to Tan’s challenge to call forth a relevant “black letter law,” we readily cite Vitug’s June 4, 2018 article, which invokes relevant provisions of the implementing rules and regulations for RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials, incidentally, the very same law Tan cites.
Finally, with respect to Tan’s defense that Calida’s firm recently lost three public biddings, we simply have to recall that Duterte frequently resorts to a thinly disguised tokenism to divert political attacks.
Gonzalinho
CALIDA RECEIVED P7M IN EXCESS ALLOWANCES IN 2017 – COA
ReplyDelete(UPDATED) Solicitor General Jose Calida dismisses the issue and says 'the issue is not new'
Lian Buan @lianbuan
Rappler.com
Published 11:17 AM, June 01, 2018
Updated 2:56 PM, June 02, 2018
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Solicitor General Jose Calida received P7.46 million in excess allowances in 2017, according to the report of the Commission on Audit (COA).
Calida received a total of P8.37 million in allowances in 2017, but the COA considered the P7.46 million as excess because it was more than 50% of his annual salary, according to the 2017 audit report of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) released Thursday night, May 31.
"We recommended that management refund the excess amount received and deposit the same to the OSG Trust Fund," the COA said.
Rappler has asked the OSG for comment on the COA findings, but has not received a response as of posting.
Link: https://www.rappler.com/nation/203857-jose-calida-excess-allowance-2017-audit-report
Gonzalinho
NEW LORD OF THE RUNWAYS? TUGADE CONFIRMS ALVAREZ’S BFF HAS STAKE IN NAIA GROUND SERVICE PROVIDER
ReplyDeletePolitiko
On Jan 25, 2018
A businessman who owns majority of the shares of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO) is emerging to be a person to watch for as the battle for providing ground services to airlines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) heats up due to MIASCOR’s looming departure.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Thursday (January 25) confirmed that Jeffrey Cheng is a shareholder of the Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. (PAGSS), a company engaged in ground handling services at NAIA.
However, he clarified in an interview with Karen Davila over ANC’s “Headstart” that PAGSS has not bagged the contract that MIASCOR used to have with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
“Again, there is no one taking over at this time,” he said. “Jeffrey Cheng is a share owner of PAGSS. PAGSS is an accredited serving provider of ground handling.”
Tugade explained that airlines can choose which ground handling services provider to choose at NAIA since the matter is a business decision.
“If you give it to Mr. Jeffrey Cheng…there will be a negotiation with his company and the airline. They have to talk about service standards, compensation, quality performance, etcetera. Hindi po kami yun,” he said.
Tugade shrugged off the allegation that PAGSS will be chosen to take over MIASCOR’s contract with NAIA since Cheng is reportedly close to politikos.
“People can play on their perceptions. People can play on their judgment. That does not necessarily mean it’s true,” he said.
Cheng is allegedly close to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who used to be Transportation Secretary under the Arroyo administration.
PIATCO was the contractor for the NAIA Terminal 3.
MIAA recently ordered MIASCOR to leave NAIA’s premises within 60 days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a change in aviation services provider due to incidents of theft at airports.
Link: http://politics.com.ph/new-lord-runways-tugade-confirms-alvarezs-bff-stake-naia-ground-service-provider/
Gonzalinho
DUTERTE’S FIGHT VS CORRUPTION: 20 SACKED EXECS FACE NO CHARGES
ReplyDelete(4TH UPDATE) Of the officials President Rodrigo Duterte has fired over alleged corruption or misconduct, 4 are back in government while two are in jail
Pia Ranada @piaranada
Rappler.com
Published 1:01 PM, May 04, 2018
Updated 11:48 AM, June 08, 2018
MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Of the officials President Rodrigo Duterte has fired due to alleged corruption or misconduct, 20 have not yet been charged, 4 have been reappointed, and one was retained in government.
Rappler compiled a list of all the officials Duterte has fired, so far, for alleged corruption or misconduct, which includes those fired for "junketeering" or going on unnecessary, extravagant trips. Duterte himself had cited such trips as examples of a "whiff" or indication of corruption.
Of the 20 officials, 4 are back in government: Sacked Social Security System commissioner Pompee La Viña was named tourism undersecretary while sacked Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor commissioner Melissa Aradanas is now deputy secretary general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. Aradanas is the cousin of Duterte's longtime partner, Honeylet Avanceña.
Duterte later moved La Viña to the Department of Agriculture, following the change in leadership at the Department of Tourism.
Sacked PCUP commissioner Joan Lagunda was reappointed as environment assistant secretary on April 6, 2018. A 3rd sacked PCUP commissioner, Manuel Serra Jr, was reappointed member of the Philippine Coconut Authority governing board.
One official, former Philippine Health Insurance Corporation interim president Celestina De la Serna was replaced but Duterte decided to keep her in PhilHealth's Board of Directors.
The list does not include officials sacked not necessarily due to corruption or misconduct – such as former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, fired supposedly for clearing alleged druglords of drug charges; Palace undersecretary Halmen Valdez, fired for allegedly seeking extensions of import permits; and former Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Benjamin Reyes for contradicting Duterte's "4 million drug addicts" figure.
Notable, however, is former customs chief Nicanor Faeldon who resigned but was reappointed by Duterte as deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defense. Faeldon is now facing an investigation by the Ombudsman into graft, violation of drug policies, and usurpation of official functions in relation to the P6.4-billion drug smuggling controversy that exploded in customs under his watch.
However, the two Bureau of Immigration deputy commissioners fired by Duterte, have been charged with plunder for allegedly receiving a bribe, and are now in jail, after the Ombudsman found basis for the charges.
Link: https://www.rappler.com/nation/201753-duterte-corruption-fired-officials-reappointed?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1528426241
Duterte tokenism.
Gonzalinho
Why do we have to undergo a major economic crisis to begin to arrest the slide into atrociously bad governance, abusive dictatorship, and massive corruption? The Philippine people, many ignorant of history, have allowed this repetition of our degenerate national experience.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
Our dictatorial president Duterte insists on implementing the failed authoritarian governance model of the Marcos regime, and the deleterious effects are showing. So-called Philippine prosperity is FAKE, fueled by gargantuan debt from Communist China.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho
Debt in itself is not bad, but gargantuan dollar-denominated debt combined with BAD governance is a recipe for economic disaster. The Philippine people, many ignorant of the history of the destructive Marcos regime, have allowed this repetition of our degenerate national experience.
ReplyDeleteGonzalinho