DOCUMENT SHOWS:
P283,000 for each PNP official in Europe
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:09:00 10/16/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- More than P283,000 or around P2.3 million, had been allotted by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for each of the eight officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who went to Europe in an official capacity, according to a breakdown of their expenses, a copy of which was obtained by INQUIRER.net.
The document showed that the money was far less than the P6.9 million equivalent in euros that was found in the possession of a retired high-ranking official who was apprehended in Russia where an eight-man PNP delegation went for the 77th Interpol Assembly at St. Petersburg.
This means that each PNP officer had a budget for an economy class plane ticket from Manila to St. Petersburg and back amounting to P139,620; a pre-departure allowance of P1,500; per diem allowance amounting to P128,892 for their six-day stay in the Russian city; and visa and insurance application fees amounting to P13,500 for a total of P283, 512.
Russian Customs officials found money equivalent to P6.9 million in euros in the possession of retired director for comptrollership Eliseo dela Paz and his wife and were apprehended for failing to declare the huge amount.
But in an interview, Brian Yamsuan, Interior and Local Government assistant secretary for public affairs, clarified that the P2.3 million was already part of the P6.9 million fund, and the more or less P4 million balance was the “contingency fund” that would have been used for other official trips of the officers after the Interpol assembly.
Yamsuan's claim contradicted Dela Paz's statement in which he said that the entire P6.9 million was the contingency fund. Dela Paz was contacted by INQUIRER.net 3 p.m. Moscow time (around 8 p.m. Manila time) Wednesday.
As of posting time, Napolcom officials could not be reached for comment.
DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno said there was “nothing wrong” with the amount carried by Dela Paz and that everything would be accounted for upon his return.
|
