PNP chief: I don’t own Batangas property

Director General Alan Purisima. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima on Wednesday insisted he had no property in Batangas under his name as claimed in media reports.

Purisima told the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that his purported signature on the supposed deed of absolute sale for the property, which was mentioned in the media reports, was a forgery and even misspelled his name.

The committee, chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, had asked Purisima to explain reports that he had a property in Talisay, Batangas that was not declared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. But the PNP chief denied he owned such property and said there was no truth to the claim.

“Inasmuch as I would like to accommodate the honorable committee by providing pertinent documents regarding the said property, I am unable to do so considering that, as previously mentioned, I am not privy to any matter in connection with said property,” Purisima said in his letter to Poe’s committee.

To support his claim that his supposed signature on the deed of sale was a forgery, Purisima pointed out that the signature spelled his given name with a double “L” while his family name is spelled out almost entirely.

“Obviously, that is not how I sign my name,” he said.

Purisima told the committee that it could compare the signature in the deed of sale with his signature in his letter to the committee. He also attached a copy of his PNP identification card with his signature for additional reference.

“Based on documents shown in news reports, it is obvious and clear that the purported signature in the supposed document involving the said property that is being attributed to me is forged,” he said.

According to Purisima, he had no knowledge about any Talisay land being linked to him, or any transactions concerning the asset. He has signed no documents related to the property, he added.

He also said that he had directed the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to investigate how his name was dragged into this latest controversy and to determine the persons involved.

The committee on public order and dangerous drugs earlier looked into allegations that Purisima owned a vast property with a mansion in Nueva Ecija, which the PNP chief had said was just an ordinary house.

It had also tackled the donation from contractors to renovate the official residence of the PNP chief in Camp Crame and the big discount that Purisima got when he bought a sport utility vehicle.

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