Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor Photo by Julliane Love de Jesus/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima will appear before the Senate to make up for the committee hearing on public order that he missed last September 16.
Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor confirmed this on Monday as he spoke to the media for the first time as the new PNP spokesperson and the organization’s Public Information Office chief.
“The chief PNP was invited by Senator Grace Poe for the hearing tomorrow, September 30, at the Senate committee on public order that is discussing the PNP organization and the chief PNP will attend the said hearing,” Mayor said in a press briefing.
Purisima got a dressing down from Poe when he failed to attend the Senate hearing amid the corruption allegations hurled against him and criticisms against the PNP over the rash of heinous crimes.
Poe questioned the PNP chief’s silence in the face of the crisis buffeting the police organization under his leadership.
Purisima arrived in Manila on Sunday night from a four-day anti-kidnapping and extortion conference in Bogota, Colombia.
While he was away, two batches of criminal charges have been filed against him, including plunder, graft and indirect bribery, by the Coalition of Filipino Consumers and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.
Purisima was also a no-show at the flag ceremony held every Monday at Camp Crame.
But Mayor said: “Let us remember that he just arrived from abroad late Sunday night. He might be suffering from jetlag. Pagbigyan naman natin nang konti.”
He also assured that all issues will be clarified by Purisima during the Senate hearing.
“Issue pertaining to personal matters will be clarified by the chief PNP personally or his lawyers,” he added.
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