You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

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Showing posts with label Graft and Corruption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graft and Corruption. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Philippine Vice President Binay Quits Cabinet Amid Graft Probes


MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is running for president next year, has resigned from the cabinet in a break with President Benigno Aquino as he is investigated for corruption.

Binay is being probed by the Ombudsman's office for alleged corrupt practices while serving as mayor of the financial district of Makati in the capital Manila.

He was mayor for two decades and his approval and trust ratings remain the highest among the country's top five national officials, beating Aquino, according to a survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia released on Monday.

But his ranking in surveys for possible candidates in the 2016 presidential election fell to second place for the first time this month, according to Pulse Asia and another pollster, Social Weather Stations.

"This is voluntary and there is nothing that can change his mind," Mar-Len Abigail Binay, Jejomar Binay's daughter and a member of the House of Representatives, said in a radio interview, adding her father was "very tired" of not being able to fight the accusations.

Allies of Aquino in the Senate have been steering months-long probes into allegations of kickbacks, ill-gotten wealth, bid rigging and money laundering against Binay, his son who is the current Makati City mayor, and his business associates.

(Reporting by Rosemarie Francisco; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Monday, June 1, 2015

Bacolod Mayor Denied Visa to Attend FIFA Congress amid Graft Charges

A Philippine FIFA official facing corruption charges has been banned from flying to Switzerland to attend the organisation's congress, a local court said Friday.

Monico Puentevella, a board member of FIFA's marketing and television committee, is out on bail after being charged in 2013 with misusing more than $500,000 in state funds when he was a member of parliament.

A clerk at the court hearing the case told AFP the 68-year-old, now the mayor of the central city of Bacolod, had asked for permission to visit Switzerland for "almost three weeks" for the congress, but this was denied.

Puentevella had successfully delayed the start of his trial, scheduled for May 14, by submitting a doctor's report claiming he was in hospital with "stress-related hypertension", according to the court's ruling.

But he later submitted a different doctor's report stating he was fit to travel to Switzerland for the FIFA congress, said the verdict, which was delivered this week and released to AFP on Friday.

The Manila court, which handles only corruption cases, described Puentevella's varying medical conditions as "incongruous" and "not acceptable", according to the verdict.

State prosecutors allege Puentevella illegally rigged a government contract worth about 26 million pesos ($583,000) meant to provide computers to state-run schools in his district.

Puentevella held the city's seat for three terms between 2001 and 2010. He is one of dozens of politicians who have been charged in recent years over similar scams, in which they are accused of stealing vast sums of money.

The ruling was handed down as Swiss police raided a Zurich hotel and arrested seven high-ranking FIFA officials this week at the request of the United States on racketeering conspiracy and corruption charges.

The US indictments, made against 14 defendants, pertained to tens of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks the FIFA officials allegedly took for lucrative television broadcasting rights for football tournaments.

The FIFA website said the board of which Puentevella is a member "shall advise the Executive Committee with regard to drafting and implementing contracts between FIFA and its various marketing/television partners".

Puentevella's chief aide said the mayor, also a former chairman of the Philippine Olympic Committee, was not in his office Friday and declined to comment on the case against him.

"I can't answer on behalf of the mayor," his executive assistant, Maya Fe Tresfuentes, told AFP.

Philippine Football Federation spokeswoman Virgie de Guzman also declined to comment, adding Puentevella did not hold any post in the national federation. -- Agence France-Presse


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Senator Enrile will remain a free man a bit longer ...



Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile will remain a free man a bit longer, as the Sandiganbayan is taking more time to determine whether there is probable cause to prosecute him for plunder and graft over the P10-billion pork barrel scam. 

The antigraft court’s Third Division that is handling the consolidated plunder and graft cases against Enrile and his 48 coaccused reached no decision on Monday.
On the other hand, the Fifth Division, which is handling the consolidated plunder and graft cases against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, ordered him and his 25 coaccused arrested Monday morning. 

The First Division, which is handling the consolidated cases against Sen. Bong Revilla and his 31 coaccused, was the first to decide, ordering the arrests on Thursday afternoon just hours after a hearing. 

The arrest warrants were issued the following day, prompting Revilla and his coaccused, including his legislative staff officer Richard Cambe, to turn themselves in and 20 of those accused of graft to post bail last Friday. 

Voluminous documents
 
During the hearing on Friday, members of the Third Division—Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang (chair) and Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Alex Quiroz—listened to Enrile’s lawyer Estelito Mendoza challenge the more than 9,000 pages of documents submitted by the Ombudsman as any proof that Enrile received kickbacks from the pork barrel scam. 

Martires assured Mendoza that the division read all the documents. 

“I will read the 9,000 sheets (of paper). I don’t care what the lawyers, the media think. This court will base its decision on the evidence,” Martires said. 

The three divisions heard defense motions to either suspend the proceedings, defer the issuance of arrest warrants or to dismiss the cases altogether. 

The First Division, composed of Associate Justices Efren de la Cruz (chair), Rafael Lagos and Napoleon Inoturan (temporary member), issued a four-page resolution on Thursday saying the Ombudsman charges showed “sufficient grounds exist for the finding of probable cause” for issuing the arrest warrants. 

The Fifth Division, composed of Associate Justices Rolando Jurado (chair) Alexander Gesmundo and Quiroz (temporary member), reached a similar decision. 

“The arguments raised are matters of defense [that can] be best threshed out during the trial on the merits of these cases,” it said in its four-page decision. 

3 more post bail
 
On Monday, three more accused posted bail, bringing the total to 23 out of the 54 people accused of graft accounted for. 

Bail was set at P30,000 per count of graft. 

Those who have posted bail are Dennis Cunanan, Marivic Jover, Francisco Figura, Consuelo Espiritu and Rosalinda Lacsamana of the Technology Resource Center;
Gondelina Amata, Chita Jalandoni and Gregoria Buenaventura of the National Livelihood Development Corp.;
Encarnita Munsod of the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor);
Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos and Rosario Nuñez, Lalaine Paule and Marilou Bare of the Department of Budget and Management; the children of principal accused Janet Lim-Napoles, Jo Christine and James Christopher; and employees of Napoles’ bogus foundations Evelyn de Leon, Jocelyn Piorato, Eulogio Rodriguez, Nitz Cabilao, Fernando Ramirez, Jesus Castillo, Dorilyn Fabian and Renato Ornopia. 

Revilla’s arraignment is set for June 26 while Estrada’s arraignment is set for June 30.

(With Philippine Daily Inquirer)