Purisima urged: Take a leave
Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Go on leave.
Sen. Grace Poe on Wednesday asked Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima to take this step so he could respond to charges of undisclosed wealth and protect the institution.
“It’s not saying that anybody’s guilty. But if there’s an issue and there seems to be some valid points, especially certain disparities in the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), it is a chance for him to be able to concentrate and defend himself, and build a case to protect himself by taking, perhaps, a leave,” Poe told reporters.
Purisima and other PNP officials are in Bogota, Colombia, for an antikidnapping and antiextortion senior leadership conference.
The Coalition of Filipino Consumers filed charges of plunder, graft and indirect bribery against Purisima for his alleged “hidden mansion” in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija province, and the construction of the White House, his official residence, in Camp Crame.
This is on top of a complaint filed against the PNP chief over an allegedly anomalous P100-million contract with a courier service firm for the delivery of firearms licenses.
Purisima’s defender
In New York, President Aquino on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Manila) defended Purisima against allegations that he enriched himself while in government service.
At a media briefing as he wrapped up his four-day US working visit, the President said that in the nearly three decades he had known Purisima, he never saw the police official “eat too much or live luxuriously.”
“The way I know Alan … I have known him since 1987, from that time to the present, I have never seen this person na maluho, matakaw (live luxuriously or eat too much),” Aquino said, when sought for comment after a citizens’ group filed a plunder complaint against Purisima in the Office of the Ombudsman.
Aquino said Purisima had not enriched himself even when he was with the Presidential Security Group and the Special Action Force.
Nonetheless, the President said he still “would want to see the details of the complaint” filed by the Coalition of Filipino Consumers, “so as not to prejudge it … and render an accurate judgment.”
The President, however, said he was “not worried” over the allegations made against Purisima.
Mason brothers
The group said Purisima was liable for plunder for accepting donations amounting to some P25 million to P30 million from his Mason brothers for the renovation of the PNP Chief’s official residence in Camp Crame called the “White House.”
The President said the PNP was “in the capable hands” of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas who would “get to the bottom of this.”
P104.5B budget
At the Senate hearing on the proposed P104.5-billion budget for 2015 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Poe suggested that Roxas recommend to the President for Purisima to go on leave.
Roxas said he would take up Purisima’s fate with Aquino when he arrives Thursday from a working visit to the United States.
Executives of three construction firms donated more than P11 million for the construction of Purisima’s P25-million official residence in Camp Crame, according to the interior secretary.
Interestingly, the deed of donation between the construction executives and Purisima was dated Sept. 3, weeks after the controversy on the White House broke. Reporters were furnished copies of the deed.
Pressed about Purisima’s controversial White House, Roxas read a report by the PNP comptroller to the Commission on Audit stating that Purisima had received a deed of donation amounting to P11.4 million from Carlos Gonzalez of Ulticon Builders Inc., Alexander Lopez of Pacific Concrete Corp. and Christopher Pastrana of CAPP Industries Inc.
Roxas said that while Purisima enjoyed his trust, it was necessary for the PNP to respond to the allegations against him.
“We can’t deny that the PNP, as an institution, is affected by this. Even the President is dragged here, even yours truly,” he told reporters.
Spot discrepancies
At the Senate finance committee hearing on the DILG’s proposed budget, Poe told Roxas that it shouldn’t be difficult to spot discrepancies in a police official’s SALN, say the declared value of a house and its real property value.
Poe said that Roxas should tap the National Police Commission (Napolcom) to do a swift scrutiny.
“The SALN is very clear-cut. You can easily see if an item is manifestly disproportionate. So, if one declares a P2-million property, yet it’s several hectares, you’d know that’s not due to a spike in the real estate market,” she said.
SALNs mix-up
Bewailing reports that police officials’ SALNs were not available at the Office of the President, or that these had been mixed up with those of the rank and file, Poe put Roxas on the spot.
“What would you recommend to the President regarding the PNP leadership?” she asked Roxas point-blank.
Roxas promised to take this up with the President, who is expected to arrive from the United States on Thursday.
“This is a complex matter. With due respect, I don’t want this discussion to go any further because the person concerned isn’t here,” Roxas said of Purisima. “We will get to the truth, and when that time comes, the government can move properly.”
Lifestyle check
Roxas confirmed that the Napolcom, Office of the Ombudsman and Bureau of Internal Revenue would jointly conduct a lifestyle check on police officials.
Poe pressed on and said: “I believe that a leader should have a purpose higher than himself, and all of us, I feel that it’s unfair to the PNP, especially to the others if the topmost person is not even available to defend the institution during the budget hearing or to be able to articulate to us what the institution needs even not for himself, for the people that he is leading.”
Simple living
Amid the controversy over the hidden wealth of Purisima, the PNP reminded its members to “lead modest lives.”
In a statement, the PNP Public Information Office (PIO) announced the issuance of a memorandum reminding all its personnel to observe a “simple standard of living” in accordance with Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
“Police personnel are considered public officials and are mandated to lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form,” the PNP PIO said.–With a report from Jaymee T. Gamil
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