Alan Purisima’s ‘saving grace’ and ‘big discount’

PNP chief Purisima faces Senate

MANILA, Philippines–It pays to be chief of the Philippine National Police. Why?

For Director General Alan Purisima, whose gross monthly income as PNP chief is P107,000, the payment for the construction of the “White House”, for which he has been criticized, was covered by a “deed of donation” and he got a “big discount” for the purchase of two luxury vehicles.

As for his property in Nueva Ecija, Purisima told the Senate committee on peace and order Tuesday that the property was already there.

Senator Grace Poe, head of the committee on peace and order, initially invited Purisima to talk about PNP modernization and the rising criminality but was eventually grilled on his statement of assets and liabilities and net worth (SALN) due to the controversy surrounding his properties and vehicles.

“Wala po akong pinapatayong property, may nakatayo na po…” said Purisima when asked by Poe about his property in Nueva Ecija.

Purisima said he bought the  4.7-hectare lot  in 1998  from his salary and savings.

When asked by Poe about the controversial  “White House”, Purisima  clarified that contrary to reports, the  donation which amounted to P11 million, was for the construction of a new building beside  an old one  at the PNP.

He said the  construction of the building started  in 2013 and was turned  over to the PNP on Dec. 31, 2013.

Poe noted, however,  that the deed of donation was dated  Sept. 3, 2014.

Purisima explained  that  the deed of donation was belatedly done  because  the donors  wanted to make it on record.  He said he even had  to convince  the donors  to legalize the donation as questions  have been raised  over its construction.

He said the  “White House” was a “design and build” concept but admitted that  he had  not seen it.

“E kung dog house ang itinayo, tatanggapin ninyo?” Senator Serge Osmeña III asked.

(And if a dog house was built, would you have accepted it?)

But Purisima said that  while  he  would benefit  from the  “White House,” it was just “incidental”, being the incumbent  chief of the PNP, and would leave it behind when he steps down from office.

“That’s your saving grace,” Poe said, adding that the  process of accepting the donation  remained “questionable” and  “suspect.”

Poe also asked  how Purisima  managed to buy  a Toyota Alphard in  2013  worth P3.2 million  and a Toyota Land  Cruiser worth  P1.5 million.

The senator  particularly  asked  how the PNP chief  got the Land Cruiser  at P1.5 million when the vehicle costs from P6 million to P7 million.

“I got a big discount,”  Purisima said in Filipino.

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