News Briefs: July 5, 2019

Journalist files raps vs Army, PNP execs

A Davao-based journalist, who was arrested last month in a case of mistaken identity, has filed criminal charges at the Office of the Ombudsman against members of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police, including its chief, Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde. Others named in Margarita Valle’s complaint were Brig. Gen. Jacinto Bareng, Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria, Police Col. Bernard Banac, Police Col. Tom Yuzon, Police Col. Redentor Lantaca Retusto, Police Col. John G. Guyguyon, Police Brig. Gen. Modhin A. Panturan, Police Lt. Col. Mardito G. Anguluan, Police Capt. Mohammed Madzdie-Aziz Mukaram and Police Col. Michael M. Pareja, and various other John and Jane Does. Valle, through her lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, filed cases of kidnapping and serious illegal detention, arbitrary detention and gross violations of the antitorture law, among others. Valle, 61, was waiting in Cagayan de Oro City for her flight to Davao City on June 9 when she was arrested. —PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU

Ombudsman’s P4.56-M fuel purchase questioned

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called the attention of the Office of the Ombudsman to its procurement of some P4.56 million in fuel, oil and lubricants in 2018 without proper public bidding. In its annual audit report, the COA said the Ombudsman’s direct purchase of fuel in credit had deprived the government of the most competitive and advantageous price. It said the government watchdog failed to submit valid contracts to the COA for review. “There were no valid agreements or contracts to support their requisitions. As a result, the Ombudsman’s office was not able to obtain the most advantageous prices in the market,” the report said. —PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU

No witness application from ‘Bikoy’, says DOJ

The man who implicated President Duterte’s family in drugs trafficking only to retract weeks later has not applied for government protection, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. Peter Joemel Advincula, who claimed to be the hooded narrator alias “Bikoy” in the “The Real Narcolist” videos that went viral in April, has not approached the Department of Justice (DOJ) nor the National Bureau of Investigation since he was released by the Philippine National Police on June 25. Guevarra said the DOJ might consider placing Advincula under the department’s witness protection program (WPP) if he formalizes and substantiates his claim that opposition politicians were behind his accusations. “Bikoy has not applied for WPP, neither has he sought protective custody with the NBI,” Guevarra told reporters on Thursday. —DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN

Printing facility of fake tax stamps raided

Authorities raided a printing plant that was churning out fake cigarette labels and tax stamps in Malabon City, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said on Wednesday. The Bureau of Internal Revenue and the National Bureau of Investigation jointly conducted the raid earlier that day and seized P245 million worth of counterfeit tax stamps, Dominguez told reporters. Citing a report from the factory’s machine operator, he said the facility could produce 3,500 fake tax stamps per hour. “At P35 per stamp, that’s P122,500 in lost revenue per hour. If the machine operates eight hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year, it can produce P245 million per year of fake tax stamps,” he said. Last month, the Bureau of Customs led the confiscation of machines used to print fake cigarette labels and packaging in Valenzuela City. —BEN O. DE VERA

Interagency council on maritime safety formed

President Duterte has formed an interagency council to ensure the country’s compliance with international standards on maritime safety, seafarers’ training and pollution prevention in seas. Newly signed Executive Order No. 84 creates the interagency council on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member State Audit Scheme. “To ensure strict and full compliance with the commitments and obligations of the Philippines as a member state of the IMO, both at the policy and technical levels, there is a need to carefully plan, manage, direct, coordinate and monitor the corresponding efforts of relevant national government agencies and instrumentalities,” it read.  The council’s creation was in preparation for the Philippines’ maritime audit by the IMO in 2021. IMO members undergo an audit on maritime safety standards every seven years. The council will be led by the Department of Transportation as chair and the administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority as vice chair. —JULIE M. AURELIO