Jailed for the wrong crime

On Target
By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

GERARDO BIONG, former Parañaque police investigator who was sentenced to 15 years in prison and is about to be released, deserved his fate.

Not for being an accomplice of those convicted of the Vizconde massacre but for robbing the dead.
Biong, who was assigned to investigate the crime scene, looted the Vizconde household.
He didn’t know any of the young men convicted for the massacre and rape, much less principal accused Hubert Webb.

Biong burned the bloodied bed sheets and other things because he was a simpleton.
The cop from Samar thought that he could cover his crime of looting the dead by burning the evidence.
Biong was found guilty of the wrong crime.

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President Noy stopped the grant of franchises to operate gambling casinos since Day 1.
But a franchise was given to a Korean company, Parana, by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) recently.

Early this month, three Pagcor officials went to South Korea upon the invitation of Choi Teon Sil, Parana president.

Two weeks after their return, Parana was allegedly given a franchise to operate casinos anywhere in the country.

What took place in South Korea?

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A Pagcor official has reportedly bought a house at a ritzy subdivision in Quezon City worth P40 million.
Where did he get the money to buy such an expensive house?

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Rampant smuggling is taking place at the ports of Cebu, Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro.
A high official is allegedly in cahoots with the smugglers, with Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez out of the loop, my sources say.

The goods being smuggled in are rice, sugar, Japanese and Korean cars, general merchandise and used clothes (known locally as ukay-ukay).

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For every 20-foot container of sugar or rice, P15,000 goes to the high official, my sources say.
A 40-foot container full of electronic items earns for the official P25,000.
Assorted general merchandise in a 20-foot container pays P5,000, say the sources.

Here’s part of the breakdown:

In November alone, 180 20-foot containers filled with rice were smuggled into Cebu port.
At the Davao port, 260 20-foot containers of rice, 31 40-foot containers of ukay-ukay, and new cars in 20 40-footers have been smuggled in since October.

From September to November, 163 shipments of rice in 20-footers and factory-fresh Korean and Japanese cars in 12 40-footers were smuggled into General Santos port.

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And how is Customs Commissioner Alvarez taking all this?

One of my sources says Alvarez doesn’t have power over his subordinates since he can’t reshuffle them.
The infighting within the Aquino administration has rendered Alvarez useless at the customs bureau.
Alvarez was appointed based on the recommendation of the “Balay Group” identified with defeated vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas.

But the Balay Group is slowly being eased out by a rival faction, the “Samar Group,” identified with Vice President Jojo Binay, and the independents identified with Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa, a close friend of the President’s.

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