Purisima, cops to undergo lifestyle check

PNP Director General Alan Purisima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A lifestyle check will soon be conducted on Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima down to the lowest police rank, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said on Wednesday.

This was prompted by the Edsa robbery and abduction incident and reports that some Quezon City policemen have declared multimillion peso net worth in their police data sheets.

Roxas in a press briefing said that he has already coordinated with Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales in his plan to order a lifestyle check on PNP members.

“Ayon sa ating batas, kung merong nakikitang kayamanan na hindi napapaliwanag na pina-file nilang income tax return, prima facie ito. It is deemed to be illegally obtained,” Roxas said.

The investigating unit will be composed of the BIR, Philippine National Police’s Internal Affairs Office, and the National Police Commission.

‎In a television interview earlier Wednesday, Roxas said police officials with star ranks ‎would be the first to undergo the lifestyle check.

‎”Because they are the ones who have the power to discipline their men, it is better if we start with them (star rank police officers),” he said.

As part of the planned memorandum circular, a hotline that would take citizen reports on corrupt policemen will be set up by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Napolcom.

“The identities of concerned citizens will be confidential so they won’t fear that policemen would get back at them,” he said.

Roxas added that a “technical working‎ group” under his office has been established to adopt the rules and regulations from the BIR in conducting lifestyle checks.

“Sa ating mga kababayan po, wala pong perfect. Hindi ko po sinasabi na perfect ang ating kapulisan pero 150,000 po ang ating mga pulis at 99 mahigit porsyento nitong mga pulis araw araw ginagawa nila ang kanilang trabaho sa tama at wastong paraan,” Roxas said.

(No one is perfect. I’m not saying the police force is perfect but there are 150,000 policemen and 99-percent of them are doing their job well.)

“Seryoso po kami. Testingin niyo po si Mar Roxas, Testingin niyo po kami sa Napolcom, sa PNP.”

(We are serious here. Test Mar Roxas. Test us in Napolcom and in PNP.)