President Rodrigo Duterte has fired 20 military officials, including top brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), over alleged corruption activities such as anomalous and ghost projects at the V. Luna Medical Center in Quezon City, Malacañang said Monday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte has ordered the relief of 20 officials after “it was brought to the President’s attention that alleged corruption activities have been taking place at the V. Luna Medical Center.” ADVERTISEMENT Among the at least 20 officials, Roque has only identified two so far. “President Duterte has ordered relief and court-martial proceedings against top military brass, which includes Brig. Gen. Edwin Leo Torrelavega, Commander of the AFP Health Service Command (AFPHSC), Col. Antonio Punzalan, Commander of the V. Luna Medical Center, Chiefs of Management and Fiscal Office and the Logistics office of the AFPHSC among others,” he said in a Palace briefing. The Palace official also said Duterte has since read the report of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the AFP. “Based on the reports, several high ranking officials and employees of the V. Luna Medical Center, Health Service Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 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 with a total amount of P1,491,570.00,” Roque said. He said AFP Chief of Staff Carlito Galvez has already released a memorandum relieving the involved officials. “[T]hat should be effective upon receipt of the officers,” he said. The AFP, Roque said, would release “a larger report” on Tuesday regarding the anomalous transactions. “The report that they have now only involved ghost transactions, ghost deliveries involving P1,491,570. Meaning, P1,491,570 worth of ghost deliveries but there are series of transactions involving almost hundreds of millions of pesos. So they will be releasing subsequent reports in due course,” he said. Roque said Galvez told him that the total number of individuals, who would be relieved was around 20. ADVERTISEMENT “But I only have two names so far. But they will be around 20,” he said. “I suppose the entire office that has to do with procurement will be relieved.” ‘Whistleblower’ Roque said the anomalies at the military hospital were discovered through a whistleblower. “I don’t know if I’m at liberty but they had a whistleblower. And of course, the whistleblower went to the proper channels that did the investigation. The President ordered the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission to investigate, and he also ordered the Chief-of-Staff to look into the matter,” he said. The reports about the alleged corruption, he said, reached the President on August 6. “[T]he reports came in last Monday which explains why the President was very aggravated in talking about corruption in the last Cabinet meeting because there was the issue of both Nayong Pilipino and V. Luna, information which he had just received concerning fraudulent activities in both agencies,” he said. Roque said the alleged corrupt practices at the V. Luna Medical Center has been “ongoing for a very long period of time.” “It did not just start during the administration of President Duterte. It apparently has been ongoing for a very long period of time,” he said. ‘Ballistic’ The President, he said, was “ballistic” with the reported corruption at the military hospital. “He’s ballistic because it was only recently that he ordered that a sum of P50 million be released to V. Luna to make sure that V. Luna will have sufficient funds to cover all medical requirements of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said. “Of course, only to find out that bulk of the funds, or much of the funds, maybe going to pockets of corrupt officials of the Armed Forces,” he added. The anomalous transactions, he said, also include medical equipment “hence the President’s frustrations and anger.” “He was personally aggravated when the information on corruption was confirmed in V. Luna. Personally aggravated and angered,” Roque said. He said the anomalous deals “is not an isolated transaction.” “It involves quite a number of anomalous transactions,” according to Roque, adding that the investigation has been finished. “That’s why there’s already a report,” he said. The spokesman said the at least P1.4 million was just regarding “one transaction alone.” “Yes, that’s just one case. We’re talking of, according to the Chief of Staff, and I had a conversation with him, hundreds of millions of pesos,” he pointed out. “Apparently it’s a conspiracy. It’s institutional corruption in V. Luna,” he added. He said replacements for the sacked officials would be made but no names yet have been released. “I think there will be widespread and many replacements to be appointed because according to the Chief of Staff, there will be no less than 20 individuals who will be relieved and subject to court-martial procedure,” he said. /kga Read Next<doc-sep>Updated 4 p.m. President Rodrigo Duterte has fired all board members of Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) over a “grossly disadvantageous” 70-year property lease contract, Malacañang said on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Duterte had expressed “exasperation” to Cabinet members during a meeting on Monday night that “corruption continues under his administration.” “He cited the case of Nayong Pilipino leased government property for a [ridiculously] long period of time, 70 years, beyond the lifetime of anyone, and he considered this as a contract which was grossly disadvantageous to the government,” Roque said in a press briefing. READ: Nayong Pilipino chair to abide by Duterte’s decision; denies any wrongdoing “He, therefore, announced that he was sacking all members of the board and management of Nayong Pilipino,” he said. Roque, however, declined to disclose further details on what contract the President was referring to when he decided to fire the Nayong Pilipino officials. “He did not say. Basta, in fact, he did not even specify,” the Presidential Spokesperson said. “It was a contract that originally was 70, reduced to 50, now reduced to 25, but the rental payment was still unconscionable. But he was exasperated. He started the meeting with a general expression of exasperation,” he said. READ: HK-based Landing says casino resort to proceed despite NPF board sacking In addition, Roque said that the firing of all Nayong Pilipino officials served as a warning to all Cabinet members. “It was also a warning to all in the Cabinet na it’s a continuing campaign,” he said. /kga Read Next<doc-sep>
President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on corruption continues as he ordered the dismissal of military officials over supposed anomalous transactions at the V. Luna Medical Center, Malacañang said Monday. The 20 officials included Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command (AFPHSC) Commander Brigadier General Edwin Leo Torrelavega, V. Luna Medical Center Commander Colonel Antonio Punzalan, chiefs of Management and Fiscal Office (MFO) and the Logistics Office (OHC) of the AFPHSC and several others, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Roque said the officials will also undergo court martial proceedings "without prejudice" to the investigation to be conducted by the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices. The Palace official said the military officials took part in fraudulent transactions, including ghost purchasing, splitting of contracts to circumvent mandatory bidding processes, and conceiving fictitious suppliers. One ghost delivery, Roque said, amounted to P1.491 million. "That's just one case. According to the chief of staff [General Carlito Galvez] and I had a conversation with him, [the amount could go as high as] hundreds of millions of pesos," he said. Roque said the "institutional corruption" in the Quezon City-based military hospital did not start during the Duterte administration as "apparently it has been going on for a very long period of time." "He (Duterte) is ballistic because only recently he ordered that the sum of P50 million a month be released to V. Luna to make sure that V. Luna will have sufficient funds to cover all medical requirements of all members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines only to find out much of the funds may be going to pockets of corrupt officials of the Armed Forces," Roque said at a news conference. He said the anomalies were disclosed by a whistle-blower and subsequently investigated by the AFP and Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. "The reports came in last Monday (August 6) which explains why he was very aggravated in talking about corruption in the last Cabinet meeting because there was the issue of both Nayong Pilipino and V. Luna, information which he just received concerning fraudulent activities in both agencies," Roque said. Roque told ANC that Duterte was “aggrieved and mad” by the particular instance of corruption as it involves the military, an institution the Palace official said is close to the heart of the President. Last week, the President axed the board members and the management of Nayong Pilipino Foundation for entering into a supposedly disadvantageous lease deal with a Hong Kong-based developer for an integrated casino resort project. He also reiterated that no new casinos will be put up during his term. Duterte had vowed to reduce corruption to the barest minimum under his watch. —KG/KBK, GMA News