Billons of pesos for anti graft/insurgency

[wanderlust]

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As part of the government's anti-corruption efforts, the graft-tainted Retirement and Separation Benefits System (RSBS) of the military will be deactivated effective December 31. Cases involving graft have been filed with the Sandiganbayan. The possibility of having a pension fund run by civilians is being studied.

The RSBS members' contributions will be reimbursed upon their retirement.

[istoryador]

The Office of the Ombudsman is now taking strides to improve their performance with regard to finding erring public officials as the government continue to intensify the campaign against graft and corruption. In fact, there was a reported increase of number of officials who were investigated and find guilty of graft and corrupt offenses.

Maybe we should really look into big time government officials who have been creating more burdens in this country. The reported news of five cabinet officials being investigated by the Ombudsman only proves that the campaign to fight corruption is at its peak.

Meanwhile...

Comelec cleared in computer deal

Ombudsman panel makes turnaround

By Norman Bordadora
Inquirer
Last updated 01:43am (Mla time) 10/03/2006

Published on page A1 of the October 3, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

IN AN ABOUT-face, the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday absolved of any wrongdoing Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos and other officials who were involved in the P1.3-billion poll automation deal that the Supreme Court voided in January 2004.

“While the Supreme Court is not wrong (when it declared the contract void), the evidence we received in this case showed no evidence of malice, bad faith and partiality to warrant an indictment,” Marina Demeterio, a member of the Ombudsman panel that looked into the deal with the Mega Pacific consortium, said yesterday at a news conference.

The Ombudsman panel was chaired by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro.

Apart from Abalos, current Commissioners Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason Jr. and retired Commissioner Mehol Sadain had approved the contract on April 15, 2003.

Demeterio described the Comelec decision to award the contract to Mega Pacific as “an error of judgment, a misinterpretation of the law.”

The panel also said that the deal was not disadvantageous to the government and that the counting machines had passed the requirements.

But the Supreme Court had said in its ruling that the awarding of the contract to Mega Pacific violated the law and the Comelec’s own bidding rules.

“The illegal, imprudent and hasty actions of the commission have not only desecrated legal and jurisprudential norms, but have also cast serious doubts upon the poll body’s ability and capacity to conduct automated elections,” the high court said.

The Supreme Court also found Mega Pacific’s counting machines to be vulnerable “to election fraud on a massive scale by means of just a few key strokes.” The high court ordered the Comelec to recover the amount paid to Mega Pacific. The poll body has yet to recover the money.

Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni said the Supreme Court decision required the Ombudsman to determine the criminal liability of the respondents among the election officials and members of the consortium, “if any.”

“It did not say, ‘Determine criminal liability, period,’” Jalandoni said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. last night expressed surprise over the Ombudsman’s decision.

“It’s more than an earthquake with an intensity 7 magnitude. And I can only hope that it does not deliver a death blow to the Ombudsman as an institution because it is obvious to me that there is more than meets the eye in this very surprising decision,” he said.

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There goes the anti corruption drive of Glue-ria Arroyo. Look at the adjectives to describe the shameless Pontius Pilate act of the Ombudsman, "turn around" "about face."

Anti corruption drive is only lip service. Well, what could you expect if the head of the Ombudsman (Merceditas Gutierrez) is a classmate of Mike Arroyo. She is receiving direct instructions from Malacanang.

Gi lampaso ang findings sa Supreme Court.

[istoryador]

The Arroyo administration has mastered the art of cover-up, making it appear that it is but a regular policy of the government.

Nuong eleksyon, may dayaan pero wala naman daw nandaya. Sa fertilizer scam, may overpricing pero wala naman daw nag-overprice. Ngayon naman may kaso pero walang kriminal. This is the government’s best entry to Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

[istoryador]

The Supreme Court has ruled that the contract is disadvantageous to the government, yet the Ombudsman said it is not disadvantageous to the government. How about the billions of pesos spent for the purchase of that useless poll automation machines. Is it not disadvantageous to the government? Spending for something useless?

How about the anomalous circumstances in awarding the project despite the bidding of ONLY ONE bidder, Mega Pacific, which is an 11 days old entity. Who approved the bidding? Who authorized the bidding di ba mga COMELEC Commissioners? Nya karun moingon sila nothing irregular.

A mockery of justice.

[grabehbebe]

Another graft complains has been filed to Pampangga Rep. Reynaldo Aquino for falsification of Public documents. Reports said that while he was Mayor for three terms, he had approved and entered into various contracts and agreements with several contractors without the required appropriation [of funds] and that he influenced and pressured several city employees to approve the appropriations and release of funds.”

The cases pertained to alleged violation of Article 213 of the Revised Penal Code that penalizes fraud against the public treasury; alleged violation of Section 65 of the Government Procurement Reform Act and Section 3 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Let the court decide what the next step is for him….

[bongjo]

our only hope to stop graft and corruption are children 1 year old and below, the problem is, who will teach them?

[grabehbebe]

That’s true… if this graft and corruption will not be totally eradicated the future of our children and soon to be born babies will follow this steps. But from what I’ve heard now a day, the people are moving, doing their responsibility and practicing their rights to eliminate those officials who abuse their powers. Like the recent case at Pangasinan, people from there had just asked the ombudsman to suspend San Carlos City mayor Julian Rosuello. He is being subjected of complaints for graft, gross abuse of authority and falsification of public documents filed in February 2006 in connection with a land-clearing project that left several families homeless but paved the way for the construction of a shopping mall.

Full story

I am sure the ombudsman will take this cases seriously for cases like this has been bothering the country. This is one the reasons why the Philippines cannot move fast into progress because of these careless officials who does not seem to realize their positions are for.

[grabehbebe]

With a 17-0 vote, the Senate ratified on Monday night the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), making the Philippines the second Southeast Asian country and the fifth Asian country to ratify the international convention.


This developed as the Philippines dropped four places this year in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, ranking 121st among 163 countries surveyed, with a score of 2.5 in a range of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (highly clean).

The Philippines shares 121st place with eight other countries, including Benin, Gambia, Guyana, Honduras, Nepal, Russia, Rwanda, and Swaziland.

More than two-thirds of the countries surveyed scored less than 5, indicating serious levels of corruption in many countries.

[baron]

^This only shows that the government is really serious with its efforts to eradicate corruption. We really need to step up our campaign against corruption since it is one of the burdens that keep our country on the loose.

Once we resolve this, we'll be far better than what we are right now.