MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed Philippine Military Academy (PMA) comptroller Hector Maraña for allegedly misusing P15 million worth of cadets’ allowance.

Duterte signed Maraña’s dismissal order on Tuesday, August 14, in the middle of his speech during the launch of the Pilipinas Angat Lahat program in Malacañang.

“Send the guy to hell,” he said as he handed the order to his aide from the presidential podium. Duterte said the court has ordered 6 to 12 years of imprisonment for Maraña.

Maraña is the same lieutenant colonel mentioned by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez Jr on Monday, August 13, as having been sentenced by a general court martial to 10 years in prison for a P14-million case involving malversation of funds.

At the time, Galvez did not name Maraña as he was waiting for Duterte to sign the dismissal order.

PMA spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Chamberlagne Esmino, meanwhile, said Maraña was the former treasurer of the PMA cadet corps.

In his Tuesday speech, Duterte expressed his frustration over corruption in the AFP Medical Center. The other day, Malacañang announced he had fired Brigadier General Edwin Leo Torrelavega, commander of the AFP Health Service Command, and other military officials.

These officials were allegedly conspiring to pocket “hundreds of millions” of pesos through ghost projects funded by the AFP Medical Center. Duterte was particularly incensed because he had been devoting P50 million a month to the military hospital. – Rappler.com