Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang has ordered the relief of Lt. Col. Florencio Ritchie Capulong from the center’s Technical Working Group, which supervises the implementation of certain projects.
Capulong had been earlier sacked as disbursement officer of the AFP Medical Center for his involvement in an alleged anomalous procurement of medicines and medical supplies worth P80 million, but he was designated secretariat head of the TWG by acting AFP Medical Center chief Col. Benedicto Jovellanos.
Jovellanos gave Capulong his new assignment on October 15, or a day after Capulong was sacked as disbursement officer.
Asked if Jovellanos was aware that Capulong had been ordered relieved when he gave him the TWG assignment, AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said: “He knows but I don’t know the rationale [behind it).”
“I don’t know the reason why he was given a job. I can only assume that it is due to his expertise that might be lost because he will be doing nothing, so that we can utilize his expertise for certain tasks,” he said.
Cabunoc said the sacking of Capulong and several others aims to provide transparency to an ongoing internal investigation on the alleged anomalous procurement.
Also sacked pending the investigation by the AFP’s Office of Ethical Standards and Public Accountability were AFP Medical Center chief Brig. Gen. Normando Sta Ana, management and fiscal officer Maj. Neil Bugarin, and logistics officer Col. Rogelio Del Rio.
Cabunoc said Capulong and the three other relieved officials “should be left without assignments.” —Andrei Medina/KBK, GMA News
