3 DoTr officials suspended over P3-M fund
THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DoTr) has suspended three officials who are facing corruption allegations. In a statement, the agency said Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade ordered on June 29 the 90-day suspension of Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Emmanuel C. Virtucio, OTC Executive Director Eugene M. Pabualan, and Finance and Administrative Division Chief/Special Disbursing Officer Wilfredo M. Clave, Jr. An investigation is ongoing on the accusations of grave misconduct against the officials, who were given 72 hours to respond. “On December 15, 2017, the DoTr downloaded P3.3 million to the OTC for the implementation of the PUV Modernization Program. But, based on the Commission on Audit’s (CoA) Report for 2017, upon downloading of the funds, the OTC immediately released the total amount as cash advances — P2 million to Pabualan and P1.3 million to Clave, which they deposited to their respective personal accounts,” DoTr said. It added that CoA found an unliquidated balance of almost P3 million. “Ipaliwanag nila kung ano ang ginawa sa three million. Kung hindi ay hindi na sila muling makakatungtong sa kanilang opisina (They must explain what they did to the P3 million. If not, they won’t be able to step back into their offices again),” Mr. Tugade said. The secretary has also put on hold the downloading of funds to the OTC until the P3.3 million is fully liquidated. Mr. Virtucio was also flagged by the CoA report for various other violations such as charging unauthorized fees, not complying with policies on travel expenses, procurement of a vehicle and other common supplies, and hiring of unqualified staff. Secretary Tugade said the officials will be given a fair investigation, but he warned “heads will roll if they were proven guilty,” the statement said. — Denise A. Valdez
JBC to vote on Ombudsman short list in 2 weeks
THE JUDICIAL and Bar Council (JBC) will draft on July 20 its short list of Ombudsman candidates, according to Ex-Officio member Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra. In a text message to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Guevarra said, “(the) JBC will vote on July 20 and send the short list to (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) on the same date.” The JBC is the constitutional body tasked with screening applicants for positions in the judiciary and in the Office of the Ombudsman, then makes a list of recommendations from which the President will make his choice. Ten candidates, including Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel R. Martires and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, are vying to replace retiring Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, who is set to end her seven-year term on July 26. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio
Joyce Bernal to direct SONA
FILM AND television director Joyce E. Bernal will be directing President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar confirmed through a text message to Palace reporters on Thursday. He also said that he will “find out” who will be tapped for the “catering” and the President’s “barong.” — Arjay L. Balinbin
VP on ‘basketbrawl’: Strength comes with self-control
“COURAGE OFTEN demands restraint; strength must come with self-control. And many victories have been lost for failure to grasp this truth,” Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said in a statement on Tuesday night, commenting on the brawl during Monday night’s basketball game between Australia and the Philippines. Ms. Robredo noted “so many other pressing concerns currently confronting our nation,” in the context of which the fracas “may seem like a trivial matter.” But, she added, “this is an issue that strikes a chord with many of us, simply because it is not just about the basketball game itself nor the fracas that followed, but about our own individual notions of what it means to be Filipino.” “Patriotism and courage, however, must mean more than giving vent to our anger, even during the times when there is ample justification for it,” she said. The vice-president also noted that regrets and apologies have been made, which she pointed out “is the deeper expression of Filipino pride: owning up to our mistakes, and doing what is necessary to set them right.”
