Roxas: DILG’s suspension order vs PNP chief Purisima legal

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–For Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, the suspension order his agency served to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima was legal.

“That’s considered as served. Taktika lang ng abugado ‘yan (That is just the lawyer’s tactic),” Roxas said in a radio interview.

On Tuesday night, Purisima’s camp issued a statement, saying the Roxas-led Department of Interior and Local ‎Government (DILG) serving the six-month preventive suspension order to Purisima was “patently illegal.” They vowed not to honor the suspension.

Last year, rumors on the rift between Purisima and Roxas ‎surfaced. Months later, Purisima and his men had been rumored to be supporting Roxas’ political nemesis Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Lawyer Kristoffer James Purisima said the National Police Commission (Napolcom) has the administrative ‎supervision over the PNP and not the DILG. PNP is an attached agency of the DILG.

The lawyer cited Section 6, Article XVI of the Constitution, which stated that “the State shall establish and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.”

‎”Sinulatan tayo ng Ombudsman (The Ombudsman wrote to us). The letter was addressed to the DILG secretary and the Napolcom chair,” Roxas pointed out.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the preventive suspension amid allegations linking the highest PNP official to a P100-million shady deal with courier service Werfast Documentation Agency delivering firearms licenses.

While Purisima was away for an official travel, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina took over from Dec. 6 until 9 as the PNP’s officer-in-charge.

PNP spokesperson Chief Superintedent Wilben Mayor said after Espina’s short term as OIC, the DILG and the PNP will have to decide on who will replace Purisima while he is suspended.

Roxas said the movement in PNP leadership undergoes a regular process.

“Kung sino ang next line. Susundin ang chain of command (Whoever is next in line. We will follow the chain of command),” he said.

Espina is currently the second in command in PNP after Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas retired on Monday during his 56th birthday‎. The PNP officials’ compulsory retirement age is 56.

Roxas added that the PNP will continue doing its job.

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