MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police Thursday got a refund and an apology from two police officers who were part of the eight-man PNP delegation ordered to return the P2.19-million travel allowance it received for an Interpol assembly in Russia early this month.

A total of P374,070 out of the pocket money has been returned to the finance services department of the national police, so far. But the PNP is expecting the entire amount to be returned by Monday.

“All the active-duty police officials have expressed willingness to return the [cash advance] each of them received for the official trip to Russia,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome said Thursday.

Eliseo de la Paz, now retired PNP comptroller and director, is also expected on Friday to return the full amount of P274,070, which each official received for the 77th Interpol Assembly in St. Petersburg early this month, Bartolome said.

“The rest of the eight-man delegation promised to return the money on Monday,” he added. Four spouses, including De la Paz’s wife, accompanied the delegation.

Promptly heeding PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa’s order on Monday were Director for Operations Silverio Alarcio Jr. and Director German Doria of the PNP human resource and doctrine development.

Bartolome said Alarcio Thursday returned his share, which was properly acknowledged by the special disbursing officer of the PNP finance service, Supt. Samuel Rodriguez.

Apology

Doria returned P100,000 with a promissory note to refund the rest of the money within 30 days. Doria also apologized for overlooking a ban on all foreign trips as part of the government’s austerity measures.

“We overlooked [that] actually but in good faith. We received the order [to travel] but we are not aware of the provision. We are sorry about that,” Doria said at a press conference in Camp Crame, the PNP’s general headquarters.

Seized money

The controversy stemmed from the seizure by Russian customs authorities of 105,000 euros (P6.9 million) from De la Paz as he and the other members of the PNP delegation were about to leave Moscow.

De la Paz, who snubbed a Senate hearing last week, said on Tuesday that the money found on him by Moscow customs officials was a cash advance for “contingencies.”

The cash was on top of the P2.19-million travel allowance for the expenses of the PNP delegation to the Interpol assembly.

Criminal prosecution

A draft report of the Senate foreign relations committee called for the criminal prosecution of De la Paz, who retired early this month, and the seven other members of the PNP delegation for violating the travel ban under Administrative Order No. 103.

AO 103, issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004, suspends foreign travels except for ministerial meetings and scholarship or training that are of no expense to the government.

Doria expressed confidence that he and his six colleagues would not be slapped with administrative charges for joining the PNP-funded trip.

“From the start our travel is legal and lawful because we received the orders from no less than the chair of the [National Police Commission] for us to travel and attend [the Interpol assembly]. Basically, we were ordered to attend,” he insisted.

Unauthorized release

Verzosa has ordered the filing of criminal and administrative charges against De la Paz and three other officers not part of the delegation, including Rodriguez, after the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) found that the release of P6.9 million from the PNP “confidential/intelligence funds” was unauthorized.

The DIDM would continue with its investigation to find out if the rest of the delegation had a hand in the unlawful release of the P6.9 million, the PNP chief said.

Disclosing the findings of the PNP investigation of the controversy on Monday, Verzosa ordered the delegation to return the entire amount from the PNP finance service used in the travel.

But they were allowed to file the corresponding claims following the normal accounting and auditing procedures “should anyone of them feel they are entitled to reimbursement of expenses,” the PNP top brass had announced.

Bartolome Thursday said that that the money the officials returned to the PNP would be refunded to them if the Commission on Audit approved their respective claims for a reimbursement.

Arrest order

For a change, Sen. Panfilo Lacson is backing Senate President Manuel Villar Jr., on the latter’s decision to issue an arrest order against De la Paz only after getting the approval of the majority of the foreign relations committee members.

“In fairness to (Villar), it should be a majority of members of the foreign relations committee who should vote whether or not an arrest warrant should be issued,” Lacson told reporters.

He said the issuance of an arrest order by the Senate should not be a unilateral exercise.

It was the committee chair, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who has been asking Villar to approve the arrest order on De la Paz whom she cited for contempt when the retired PNP comptroller failed to appear before her committee’s hearing on Oct. 23.

Committee members in attendance

But Santiago is asking Villar to interpret the Senate rules in a way that the requirement for the arrest order to be implemented should be voted upon by members of her committee who were present at the hearing.

Aside from Santiago, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan (both ex-oficio members), and Senators Manuel Roxas II and Juan Miguel Zubiri attended the hearing.

The other day, Villar said that Senate procedures require a majority vote of all members of the foreign relations committee in order to implement the arrest order.

Thursday, Zubiri said he believed it was not necessary to have De la Paz arrested.

Zubiri said the PNP had already declared that De la Paz and other PNP officials would be charged and that was “sufficient enough” for him.

He said the arrest warrant to be issued by the Department of Justice or the Ombudsman would do. “We have achieved what we are to achieve, which is, expose the shenanigans in the malversation of public funds.”