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(The Manila Times) PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused former Interior secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd and former Justice secretary and now Sen. Leila de Lima of stealing public funds, citing the Commission on Audit’s (CoA) previous findings that flagged millions to billions of supposedly unliquidated funds.

In his prerecorded public address, Duterte said CoA, in its past audit findings, had also flagged the Department of Justice (DoJ) then under de Lima for its unliquidated cash advances in 2013.

“Mayroon dito ha (There’s this) agency, DoJ, under [then] secretary Leila de Lima, unliquidated (P617.44) million worth of cash advance in the year 2013,” Duterte said.

“Nakulong na lang ang g***, hindi niya ma-account itong ano. Tapos sabi nila, nag-press release na na-liquidate na raw (That stupid is now detained and could not account for this [CoA report]. She just issued a press release saying it was already liquidated),” he added.

Duterte also mentioned the past CoA report on the unliquidated fund transfers in the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) led then by Roxas.

He said the fund transfers accumulated a huge amount of P7.04 billion because of failure to monitor the liquidation and submission of financial reports.

“[The] DILG unliquidated P7 billion worth of fund transfers to various projects implemented under the term of former DILG secretary Mar Roxas as of Dec. 31, 2014,” he added.

Duterte compared this to the P67-billion “deficiencies” uncovered by CoA on the Department of Health’s management of Covid-19 funds in 2020, saying that the DoH used the funds to buy medical supplies and personal protective equipment, whereas the money was taken in cash during Roxas’ time.

“Ito unliquidated cash advances. Ito perang kinuha talaga. Eh itong kay Duque magbili eh, ito nag-cash advance, nag-bale (These are unliquidated cash advances. This is really stolen money. Duque made cash advances for purchases),” he said.

The President also slammed de Lima for criticizing his administration without taking into consideration her questionable cash advances during her stint at DoJ.

On Monday, de Lima said Duterte was “corrupting” CoA when he asked the agency to “reconfigure” its audit reports by stating that flagged agencies are not involved in corruption.

Duterte then turned the tables on de Lima, telling her to respond to CoA’s previous findings on DoJ.

“Ngayon si de Lima maingay. Sige nga, mag-ingay ka nga ngayon (Now de Lima is making noise. Go ahead, make noise),” he said.

“Mabuti nang malaman ng Pilipino kung sino ‘yung magnanakaw (Filipinos should know who’s the thief),” the President added.

Back in 2013, the CoA said DILG had P7.040-billion unliquidated fund transfers, which were supposedly used for various projects.

Roxas, who served as DILG secretary from 2012 to 2015, also faced corruption allegations in relation to the rehabilitation projects in areas devastated by Typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013.

Roxas’s camp then explained that the funds were unliquidated as the projects were still being implemented.

In 2014, the DoJ denied that it had accumulated such an amount of unliquidated cash advances, noting that this only amounted to P890,000. It said that “nearly all unliquidated cash advances have been properly liquidated.”.. Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — F2 Logistics, a firm linked to Davao businessman Dennis Uy, will soon bag a multi-million peso deal to transport election paraphernalia nationwide for the 2022 elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc on Wednesday approved the award of contract to F2 for the warehousing and transport of forms, machines, and other equipment that will be used in next year’s polls.

This was confirmed by Comelec spokesman James Jimenez in a message to reporters.

F2 bested LBC Express, 2Go Express, and Airspeed International in bagging the logistics deal — with the lowest offer of ₱535.99 million, against a maximum contract price of ₱1.61 billion.

An official notice of award will be issued to the company to formalize the agreement.

Earlier this week, Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas ordered the Special Bids and Awards Committee to look into allegations of conflict of interest, as Uy is one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s biggest campaign funders in the 2016 presidential race.

Uy is chairman of F2 Logistics while his wife, Cherylyn, serves as corporate treasurer. F2 is also among the subsidiaries of Uy’s Udenna Corporation, based on corporate disclosures.

Detained Senator Leila de Lima, who sought a probe into the logistics contract, had urged the government to avoid awarding deals to suppliers that have “participated in partisan political activities.”

F2 is a cargo forwarder founded in 2006, with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as one of its original incorporators, according to documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company also served as Comelec’s nationwide courier for the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, and secured two of four delivery contracts for the May 2019 polls… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE PESO strengthened versus the greenback on Tuesday due to positive market sentiment as the local stock market rallied and with preference for the local unit due to weaker-than-expected US manufacturing data report.

The local unit closed at P50.116 per dollar, gaining 15.40 centavos from its P50.27 finish on Monday, based on data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

The peso opened Tuesday’s session at P50.16 a dollar. Its weakest showing was at P50.24 while its intraday best was at P50.06 versus the greenback.

Dollars exchanged rose to $967 million on Tuesday from $717.65 million on Monday.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the peso’s strength was due to positive market sentiment due to gains in the local stock market.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index rose b 87.15 points or 1.32% to close trading at 6,678.82 on Tuesday. The broader all shares index also increased by 33.92 points or 0.82% to 4,144.88.

Meanwhile, a trader said the peso appreciated after the release of a weaker-than-expected US manufacturing sector report.

The IHS Markit’s US Composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) Output Index, which gauges the manufacturing and services sector, dropped to a reading of 55.4 in August from 59.9 in July. The index was the lowest since December, Reuters reported on Monday. It was still however above the 50-reading mark that indicates expansion in the sector.

For the flash services sector PMI, the reading stood at 55.2 from 59.9 in July. This was also weaker than the 59.5 estimate in a Reuters poll.

On the other hand, the flash manufacturing PMI was at 61.2, falling from the 63.4 in July. A Reuters poll estimated a stronger reading of 62.5 for August.

For Wednesday, both Mr. Ricafort and the trader gave a forecast range of P50 to P50.20 per dollar… Read More

(GMA News) PDP-Laban has yet to choose a vice presidential candidate for Eleksyon 2022, Senator Koko Pimentel said on Tuesday.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo’s report on “24 Oras”, Pimentel made the statement after a faction of the party declared that Duterte accepted the party’s endorsement for him to run for vice president.

“PDP-Laban has not reached that level yet of having chosen a VP candidate [because] we will most likely delegate to our presidential candidate the choice of his or her running mate VP,” Pimentel said

“Choosing the VP candidate first before naming your presidential candidate is an unusual circuitous convoluted process. Which I have never encountered before,” he added.

The faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi announced earlier in the day that Duterte has accepted its call for him to run for vice president.

Pimentel, the son of party founder Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., is on the faction which supports Senator Manny Pacquiao’s leadership.

The Cusi faction has ousted Pacquiao as party president… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE PRESIDENTIAL palace on Monday urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to fast-track the payment of claims from private hospitals, which have threatened to cut ties with the state insurer.

PhilHealth’s failure to pay the claims would deprive Filipinos’ access to healthcare services, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said at a televised briefing on Monday. “Pay what is due,” he added.

Private hospitals said they would cut ties with the state insurer after it refused to pay hospital claims under investigation worth P13.8 billion.

Mr. Roque also asked PhilHealth chief Dante A. Gierran why only one official was removed over fraudulent hospital claims. “That is unbelievable.”

Mr. Gierran, who used to head the National Bureau of Investigation, was appointed PhilHealth chief last year after the state corporation was accused of paying billions of pesos in anomalous hospital claims.

Meanwhile, Senators Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Christopher Lawrence T. Go asked PhilHealth and hospital groups to reach a middle ground.

“PhilHealth must not resort to a sweeping mechanism that could further delay the settlement of legitimate obligations,” Ms. Llamanzares said in a statement.

Mr. Go said that the government insurer should work with hospital groups to resolve the issues… Read More

(GMA News) There was a lapse on the part of the parents of the three teenage boys who died after getting hit by a train in Manila, a police investigator said on Monday.

According to Mariz Umali’s report on “24 Oras”, he said the Philippine National Railways also lacked safety precautions which could have prevented the fatal accident.

On Aug. 22, three boys aged 17 years old died after they were hit by a train in Barangay 630 in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Police Lieutenant William Toledo, Manila Department Traffic Enforcement Unit chief investigator, said parents that failed to stop their children from going out amid the strict lockdown.

“Sa parte ng magulang ng mga biktima, may pagkukulang kasi despite na under MECQ pa rin kami, hinahayaan nila yung mga anak nila sa labas ng ganu’ng oras at sa gitna ng pandemya,” Toledo said.

[On the part of the parents, they have lapses because despite the MECQ implementation, they allowed children to go out amid the pandemic.]

Under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), those aged below 18 and above 65 years old are not allowed outside unless they need to work or acquire essential goods and services.

Toledo also took issue with PNR’s lapses as the area was not well lighted amid the inclement weather.

“Pangalawa, wala silang (PNR) ano eh, kaukulang safety precaution dun sa area, ni walang fence,” Toledo said.

[They lack safety precautions. There was no fence there.]

“Stop, Look and Listen” signages were placed only at the intersection of PNR stations. There are also no fences to keep people from crossing the train tracks.

In a statement, PNR management sent its sympathies to the relatives of children, adding that it is coordinating with authorities and victims’ families in the incident.

It also said it has put up enough warning signs, adding that its trains would honk its horns to warn those crossing the tracks.

Village watchman Nestor Lara said he also warned the victims regarding the incoming train, but due to the heavy rain, the children did not hear him.

‘Kids just want to play basketball’

The three victims were about to play basketball before they lost their lives in the train accident.

Sigfredo Visagar, a relative of the victim, said their mom wanted his brother to feel happy again by playing basketball.

“Hindi namin expect na ganoon ang nangyayari. (We did not expect that it would happen.),” said Visagar, whose eyes were still swollen after crying.

Patricia De Villa, sister of one of the victims, was still in tears after the loss of a family member.

“Disgrasya din kasi parang wala namang may gusto (It is an accident. Nobody wanted this to happen.),” said De Villa.

GMA News is still reaching out to the family of the third victim but they have yet to respond… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — An additional 466 Delta variant cases have been detected in the country, with community transmission confirmed in Metro Manila and Calabarzon, the Department of Health said on Monday. The tally of Delta cases now stands at 1,273.

The DOH said one case is still active, eight patients have died, while 457 others have been tagged as recovered.

Of the newly detected cases of the more contagious variant, 442 are local, 14 are returning overseas Filipinos, and 10 cases are being verified.

The DOH listed the location of the 442 additional local Delta cases:
– 201 in Metro Manila
– 69 in Central Luzon
– 52 in Western Visayas
– 49 in Calabarzon
– 19 in Central Visayas
– 14 in Mimaropa
– 11 in Davao Region
– 7 in Cagayan Valley
– 7 in Soccskargen
– 6 in Northern Mindanao
– 4 in Bicol Region
– 3 in Ilocos Region

DOH declared community transmission of the Delta variant in Metro Manila and Calabarzon but said more evidence is needed to say the situation is the same nationwide.

“Community transmission was identified in Region IV-A and in NCR based on the following observations: 1. Large numbers of Delta cases and 2. Case investigations and phylogenetic analysis showed that these cases cannot be epidemiologically linked to each other nor source/s of infection determined,” it said in a statement.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the World Health Organization has advised looking at the situation per region.

The Delta variant is believed to be as transmissible as chickenpox — with each infected person able to spread the virus to eight or nine others on average.

Meanwhile, the DOH also reported the detection of 90 Alpha variant cases, 105 Beta cases, and 41 Theta cases in the latest batch of whole genome sequencing of 746 samples.

The country on Monday broke its record anew for the highest number of COVID-19 infections reported in a day, with 18,332 more cases… Read More

(GMA News) The Office of Ombudsman has been investigating the procurement of COVID-19 equipment and the non-payment of benefits due “fallen health workers” since the middle of 2020, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said on Friday.

Martires added that five officials of the Department of Health have been placed on preventive suspension in October 2020 because of the probe.

The motu propio investigation, the Ombudsman said, was “relative to the procurement of test kits, PPE’s and other emergency purchases; including the non-payment to ‘fallen health workers’ and those infected by the virus; as well as the lapses and inefficiencies that led to the rising number of deaths and infected medical frontliners.”

“Our next step now is to review the COA Report and compare the same with our findings to determine the existence of any administrative or criminal liability in relation to the financial transactions of the DOH,” Martires said.

He said the investigation focused on determining the causes of inefficiency or mismanagement and identifying areas prone to corruption, the results of which will be communicated to the agency concerned and to Congress for appropriate legislation, if necessary.

Martires said the Commission on Audit’s annual audit report would “greatly help in their investigation.”

The Ombudsman also addressed the 2017 COA-Ombudsman memorandum agreement which created a task force composed of COA auditors and Ombudsman investigators to automatically investigate audit observations tagged by the COA.

“I would like to apologize to former Ombudsman, Justice Conchita Carpio Morales for not informing her that I deactivated the task force because I noted some legal infirmities in the MOA like usurpation of authority,” Martires said.

“I also want to avoid another wastage of government resources and embarrassment on the part of the Ombudsman prosecutors, the likes of which happened in the numerous cases which Justice Carpio Morales filed against a former Congressman and several department heads of Caloocan City,” he added…. Read More