Purisima still a cop despite resignation

PNP Director General Alan Purisima. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Even after resigning as the country’s top cop, Director General Alan Purisima remains a member of the 150,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP) force.

This means that after serving his six-month preventive suspension, Purisima will resume receiving his salary and other benefits of more than P100,000 a month.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. explained that Purisima only resigned from his position and not from the service.

As director general with four-star rank, Purisima receives a P67,500 monthly salary and P33,750 in longevity pay.

His other benefits include a quarterly allowance, subsistence allowance, clothing allowance, hazard pay, cost of living allowance, additional compensation and laundry allowance.

This means that after his suspension, Purisima will once again receive at least P107,531.50 a month.

“He is still a policeman. Once his preventive suspension is over, he is still a police officer but he has no more designation,” Cerbo said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

Purisima was placed on preventive suspension on Dec. 4, 2014, by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with a plunder complaint filed against him.

The suspension will be over in June, a few months shy of his retirement on Nov. 15 when he turns 56.

Last Friday, President Aquino announced Purisima’s resignation following questions about his involvement in the Jan. 25 botched police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, where 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed.

Purisima, despite his suspension, was said to have had a hand in the operation, attending briefings and forwarding intelligence information to SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas.

Once Purisima finishes serving his preventive suspension, he will be without a post or designation, Cerbo said.

His retirement benefits, however, may be endangered depending on the outcome of the cases filed against him. He could forfeit them should he be convicted.

Even with Purisima’s resignation as PNP chief, his replacement cannot yet be named as long as he remains in active service and enjoys his four-star rank.

Cerbo explained that under the circumstances, only a chief in acting capacity may be designated. “There can only be one police official with a four-star rank. So only an acting PNP chief can be designated and not a full-time chief.”

Since December, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina has headed the PNP as officer in charge.

An officer in charge has control over the police force’s day-to-day operations but cannot appoint, fire or hire personnel, while an acting PNP chief only needs to be affirmed to become PNP chief.