Corruption cases coming out one by one

Apparently, because he was so focused on his war on illegal drugs, former president Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte didn’t know what was happening in his own backyard.

Duterte, an honest man who has simple tastes and still lives in his modest house in Davao City after his presidential stint, is probably shaking his head now while hearing or reading about the corruption in his administration.

One by one they’re coming to the surface, among them: the P12-billion Pharmally scam; the plunder of undetermined amounts for COVID-19 by some officials of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM); PS-DBM’s procurement of P2.4 billion worth of low-end laptop computers for the Department of Education (DepEd); the irregularities at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) involving one of its top officials and the plunder of government coffers by people close to him.

The list goes on and on.

And here is the latest to be uncovered: the purchase of 1,346 farm tractors by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) of the Department of Agriculture, which were found to be overpriced by P98,000 per unit. This means that somebody got away with around P130 million in kickback!

The irregularity apparently happened during the time of agriculture secretary William Dar, one of the few honest officials in the Duterte administration.

Dar couldn’t have known about the irregularity at PhilMech, which enjoys a measure of autonomy from the agriculture department. Because of this autonomy, PhilMech officials can apparently procure equipment without approval from the agriculture secretary.

The irregularity was uncovered by the current PhilMech director, Dionisio Alvindia, who is an appointee of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

Readers, you’ll be reading more about the corruption in the previous administration as it is unraveled daily.

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Two things portended corruption in the Duterte administration during the euphoric days of his victory.

I was among the first to prod the unwilling Digong to run for the highest post; so, I took it upon myself to solicit campaign contributions from some of my Filipino Chinese friends.

At that time, Digong and his campaigners didn’t have the money to move around. They were scrounging for funds.

So, with one of Digong’s trusted campaigners, Eddie Bangayan, in tow, I approached three Chinoy billionaire friends who contributed a total of P65 million.

I repeat, P65 million! You can ask Bangayan, who’s a prominent Davao City businessman, about it.

I also pleaded with an American political strategist – let’s identify him by his initials DM – who happens to be a close friend, to help in the campaign.

DM agreed to lower his asking price – the guy doesn’t come cheap – only upon my pleading.

I had DM and Digong meet in a five-star hotel in Metro Manila in the heat of the campaign. Digong was impressed by DM’s blueprint for victory.

I reminded Digong’s people after his victory to pay DM. They never did.

Also, the three donors who contributed a total of P65 million for his campaign never got a “thank you” from Digong. Neither did I.

Look, I know Digong as a very grateful man; he never forgets to say “thank you” even for small favors.

Who pocketed the money? Why was Digong not told about it?

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One of the 20 Quezon City policemen who participated in the cover-up of the hit-and-run incident that killed a tricycle driver is also involved in several cases of kidnapping, extortion, “planting” of evidence and unlawful possession of explosives.

An unimpeachable source in Camp Crame told me that the cop masterminded the kidnapping of a woman to have her pay off her gambling debt. The woman paid a P3-million ransom for her release, but only after a grenade was “found” on her person.

And yet this cop has not been charged in court for the above-cited offenses. Why? Is there another cover-up?

Why is Camp Crame quiet about the policeman’s alleged offenses, which are heinous?

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The 19 policemen who, as of this writing, are trying to protect their fellow cop in the hit-and-run incident are facing administrative charges put forward by the Quezon City People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB).

Eyewitnesses say Lt. Col. Mark Julio Abong, erstwhile chief of the Quezon City Police District’s criminal investigation and detection unit, was the driver of the vehicle that bumped a tricycle manned by Joel Laroa.

The 19 cops either witnessed the accident but didn’t arrest Abong or didn’t identify him as the culprit during a traffic investigation.

The PLEB chairman assigned to try the administrative cases against Abong and the 19 other cops is a lawyer who happens to be a son of a former lawman.

Rafael Vicente Calinisan, also a certified public accountant, is the son of retired Brig. Gen. Roberto Calinisan of the defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC), who was a nemesis of criminals in his time.

The elder Calinisan made his mark as assistant chief of M-2, or the intelligence unit of the Metrocom, an acronym for Metropolitan Command, which preceded the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

I’ve known Bobby Calinisan from way back, as I covered the Metrocom for the defunct Times Journal.

The younger Calinisan graduated cum laude with an accountancy degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) and graduated from the Ateneo de Manila College of Law.

Ralph Calinisan also finished his business and law studies at the Wharton Business and Law Program of the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He was the president of his class and delivered the valedictory address during the graduation rites.