‘Alan Purisima will be back on duty’

Resigned chief of the Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima will soon be back to his regular duty when his suspension order over corruption allegations expires on June 4, Thursday.

Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said on Wednesday that Purisima’s status will be “back to duty” after serving a six-month preventive suspension along with eight other police officers over a shady deal with a courier service firm in 2011.

The PNP officer in charge, in an interview with reporters in Camp Crame, said Purisima will be under the Personnel Holding and Administrative Unit as he relinquished his post at the PNP chief in March.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered on December 4 last year the suspension of Purisima and officials of the PNP Civil Security Group and Firearms and Explosives Office in connection with the allegedly anomalous gun license delivery deal with Werfast Documentary Agency.

Among those suspended  were former CSG head Police Director Gil Meneses and FEO officials Chief Superintendents Raul Petrasanta and Napoleon Estilles, Senior Superintendents Allan Parreno, Eduardo Acierto and Melchor Reyes; Superintendent Lenbell Fabia, Chief Inspectors Sonia Calixto, Nelson Bautista and Ricardo Zapata.

As for other police officers, Espina said the PNP’s Senior Officer Placement Board has yet to deliberate if they will be reinstated to their respective posts.

Two committees of the SOPB, led by Espina, will study the positions of officers and will do the recommendation of their assignments to the National Police Commission.

Unlike an administrative relief, Espina explained the suspension order was not penal in nature.

“Ang purpose naman ng preventive suspension dalawa eh. So that you will not influence the outcome of the case and you cannot intimidate witnesses. That’s what the law provides so that a case against anybody will not unduly be influenced by virtue of the position so tinatanggal muna sa position,” he said.

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