PUNCHLINE
By FRED M. LOBO
President Duterte has fired a military general and 19 officials at the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s (AFP’s) V. Luna Medical Center over multi-million-peso corruption involving anomalous
Fred M. Lobo
purchases and transactions.
You’re “sick” too! You’re all fired! the Punisher ordered.
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The President, likewise, sacked a Philippine Military Academy (PMA) official for irregular handling of cadets’ allowances and called on public servants to shun corruption or face the same fate.“Graft and corruption seems to be endless... Protect government interest,” Duterte stressed.
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Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said several high-ranking officials and employees of the VLMC and Health Service Command of the AFP (AFPHSC) were found involved in anomalous purchases of equipment and other fraudulent transactions.Haunted by ghost-purchases, splitting of contracts, use of fictitious suppliers and overpricing, he said.
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“It was brought to the President’s attention that alleged corruption activities have been taking place at the V. Luna Medical Center. The President has since read the reports of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez,” Roque said.And so the Punisher axed them.
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Roque said the President ordered the relief and court martial proceedings against Brig. Gen. Edwin Leo Torrelavega, commander of the AFPHSC; Col. Antonio Punzalan, commander of the V. Luna Medical Center; chiefs of the Management and Fiscal Office (MFO) and the Logistics Office (OHC) of the AFPHSC, and several other officials.***
“There are series of transactions involving almost hundreds of millions of pesos. So they will be releasing subsequent reports in due course.The total number of individuals, according to the chief of staff, who will be relieved is around 20…They will be relieved and subject to court martial procedure,” Roque added.***
“He’s ballistic because it was only recently that he ordered that a sum of P50 million be released to V. Luna ... only to find out that bulk of the funds, or much of the funds, may be going to pockets of corrupt officials of the Armed Forces…Apparently it’s a conspiracy. It’s institutional corruption,” Roque added.***
The President , who just fired the entire Nayong Pilipino board for anomalous contract, directed newly appointed government officials to shun corruption and excessive foreign travels while in service.Way korap-korap! Way laag-laag!, Duterte seemed to have warned.
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Swearing in 178 new government officials in Malacañang, the President urged government workers to provide “excellent public service” and be “instruments of fairness, transparency, and justice…be competent and honest.”Yes, avoid corruption or be kicked by Captain DU30. Tsug-i kayo!