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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