Duterte sacks 20 military execs
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has axed around 20 high-ranking military officials over the supposedly P1.491-million ghost procurement in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Center, otherwise known as V. Luna Medical Center, in Quezon City.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Monday, August 13, that Duterte ordered the relief and court martial proceedings against the top military officials, including AFP Health Service Command commander Brigadier General Edwin Leo Torrelavega and V. Luna Medical Center commander Colonel Antonio Punzalan.
“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 AntiCorruption Commission (PACC) and the [AFP] chief-of-staff General Carlito Galvez,” Roque told Palace reporters.
“Based on the reports, several high-ranking officials and employees of the V. Luna Medical Center, health service command of the AFP undertook anomalous purchases of equipment and engaged in fraudulent transactions, including ghost purchasing, splitting of contracts to circumvent mandatory bidding processes, and conceiving fictitious suppliers,” he added.
Roque said the information about the supposed corruption within the military hospital came from an unnamed whistleblower. Duterte was “personally aggravated and angered” to learn that the anomalous procurement, with a total amount of P1,491,570, was just a “one transaction alone,” Roque said.
On top of the P1.491 million worth of ghost deliveries, there were also several anomalous transactions amounting to “hundreds of millions of pesos” made by officials of the V. Luna Medical Center,” the Palace official added.
“He (Duterte) is ballistic... He was personally aggravated when the information on corruption was confirmed in V. Luna [Medical Center]. Personally aggravated and angered,” Roque said.
“Because only recently,
he ordered that the sum of P50 million a month be released to V. Luna [hospital] to make sure that V. Luna will have sufficient funds to cover all medical requirements of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines of course, only to find out bulk of the funds or much of the funds may be going to the pockets of the corrupt officials of the Armed Forces,” he added.
Roque said Galvez already made his commitment to heed Duterte’s order to relieve and conduct probe against the allegedly erring military officials.
“The chief-of-staff, General Carlito Galvez, has also said that he will immediately relieve General Torrelavega and Colonel Punzaln and will convene court martial proceedings against them, without prejudice to the investigation to be conducted by the Ombudsman for the military,” he said.
“I suppose the entire office that has to do with procurement will be relieved... Apparently, it’s a conspiracy. It was institutional corruption in V. Luna,” he added. Duterte has so far sacked more than 20 government officials since he assumed office in 2016 because of their either alleged involvement in corruption, reported excessive foreign trips, and conflict of interest.
Just last week, the President ordered the dismissal from service of the entire Nayong Pilipino Foundation board over the controversial 70-year lease contract with Chinese casino investor Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp., which was found to be “grossly disadvantageous” to the government.