Purisima rules out ‘early retirement,’ says he works just fine with Roxas

By: Marlon Ramos - 10 years ago

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP Director General Alan Purisima INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—Amid the controversies hounding the 148,000-strong force, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima played down speculations that he would bow out of the police service ahead of his retirement in 2015.

Guesting in a television show on Tuesday night, Purisima also brushed off rumors that he was not in speaking terms with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Purisima, one of the President Aquino’s closest friends in the government, said he last spoke with Roxas on Tuesday.

“No. I’m not planning to resign,” the PNP chief replied when asked by the news anchor if he was considering leaving his post before his scheduled retirement.

As if to disprove insinuations that he and the interior secretary were not in good terms, Purisima joined Roxas in presiding over the meeting of police commanders in Metro Manila at Camp Crame.

The pair also appeared in a news briefing after the command conference regarding the PNP’s latest anti-criminality efforts to address the rash of high-profile murders in the country.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1981, Purisima was designated by the President to head the police force in December 2012.

He will step down from his post upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 for police officials in November 2015.

During the TV interview, Purisima also denied rumors that the PNP spent P25 million for the renovation of the “White House,” the official residence of the sitting PNP chief at Camp Crame.