Ex-PMA official fired for corruption

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has fired a military officer for alleged malversation of the allowances of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadets.

He signed yesterday a document formally dismissing Lt. Col. Hector Maraña, former PMA comptroller, from the service.

“He (Maraña) malversed P15 million of the cadets’ allowance. Send the guy to hell. That’s an order,” the President said during the launching of the Angat Lahat entrepreneurship alliance in Malacañang.

Maraña used to be the treasurer of the PMA cadet corps. A military court sentenced him to a 10-year jail term for malversation of funds last month, according to Armed Forces spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo.

Duterte, however, said the recommendation was to imprison Maraña from six to 12 years.

A court-martial recommendation to dismiss him was submitted to the President for review and approval – one that he signed while delivering his speech.

The President admitted he was “exasperated” by the corruption in government, which he described as “endemic.”

Duterte approved the sentence against Maraña a day after he fired about 20 officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center over alleged procurement anomalies.