President Rodrigo Duterte
At least 20 top military officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center have been fired by President Rodrigo Duterte over corruption allegations, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed Monday.
Roque said Duterte has ordered relief and court martial proceedings against the military brass due to anomalous purchases and fraudulent transactions which include ghost purchasing, splitting of contracts to circumvent mandatory bidding processes and creating fictitious suppliers.
Roque claimed the “conspiracy” and “institutional corruption” at the country’s main military hospital had been taking place before the Duterte administration.
He revealed that Duterte was “aggravated” and “ballistic” because he had recently ordered the release of an additional 50 million pesos ($935,038) to the hospital to ensure it would have sufficient funds for the medical requirements of all members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In a separate news conference, Military Chief of Staff Carlito Galvez Jr. vowed to fix the “systemic corruption” at the institution in one month.
“We need to cleanse the institution. I have no tolerance for corruption,” Galvez said.
He added that an investigation by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) of the hospital’s transactions was triggered by a complaint of irregular transactions and ghost deliveries received from the Office of the President last May.
He revealed that the ISAFP found 17 questionable transactions involving around 17 million pesos ($317,855) but noted that he has ordered the investigating unit to probe more contracts that would bring the total money involved to 200 million pesos ($3.74 million).
Aside from the probe to be conducted by the deputy ombudsman for the military and other law enforcement offices, the sacked military officials will undergo court martial proceedings where they will be given the opportunity to be heard.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has fired 20 people, including colonels and a general, over accusations of fraud and graft in purchases of military medical supplies, his spokesman said on Monday, the latest step in a sweeping battle on graft.Reining in government corruption was a key election plank for Duterte, who has been a big supporter of the security forces, promising equipment and boosting their budget and salaries to help tackle crime, drugs and armed rebellions.Those sacked were accused of involvement in 17 cases of bogus purchases of supplies, drugs and equipment at inflated prices, the spokesman, Harry Roque, told reporters.Civilians and military officials were among those sacked. The servicemen faced a court martial, he added.Inside the Bangladesh prime minister's war on drugsDuterte was "personally aggravated and angered", having recently ordered that 50 million pesos ($936,908) be made available to the main military hospital where the offences took place, Roque said.Military chief Carlito Galvez said he was angered to learn that men in uniform had profited by inflating the prices of prosthetics bought for soldiers who had lost limbs in battle.In his campaign against corruption, Duterte has sacked dozens of officials, including many of his own appointees. 
Philippines' Duterte sacks 20 for graft in military medical buys
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Philippines has thanked Turkey and Istanbul-based aid agency Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) for their contributions to the peace process with the government of Philippines.In a letter sent to IHH, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the MILF chairman, wrote: “Thank you very much for all the help and prayers you, IHH, continuously extend to us and to the Bangsamoro Ummah, likewise the other NGOs, Turkish government agencies, the Turkish government and Turkish Ummah in general.”Bangsamoro is a collective term used for Filipino Muslims.“Your supports help us reach what we have achieved now in our struggle. Please continue to help and pray for us in the next level of our struggle, the rebuilding of the Bangsamoro nation and society,” Ebrahim said.Stating that the new stage will be “challenging,” he wrote: “We direly need your continued support.”The Moro Islamic Liberation Front had forged the Bangsamoro Law with government representatives as one of the requirements of the peace agreement it signed in 2014 with then-President Benigno Aquino III.Turkey has been officially involved in the peace process with the government of the Philippines as a third party.Huseyin Oruc, deputy head of the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), is one of the members of the team monitoring the peace process.In July, Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.The law provides for increasing the legal and economic earnings of Muslims in the region, giving more comprehensive autonomy to those living on the islands around Mindanao, which has a large Muslim population.Under the new regulation, the central administration will hand over administrative power in Mindanao to the Bangsamoro government.- IHH’s aid activitiesIHH has been continuing its aid activities including humanitarian assistance and emergency aid in the region since 1996. The agency has delivered food aid to over 140,000 people so far.The agency also continues its works to build schools, mosques, and orphanages.
Philippines's Moro group thanks Turkey for peace efforts