It won’t be easy for resigned PNP chief Purisima to claim benefits

The legal issues hounding resigned Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima may prove to be an obstacle when he collects his benefits upon his mandatory retirement on Nov. 23.

The embattled former PNP chief is entitled to receive a P91,125 monthly pension based on his P107,000 monthly salary and P4.8 million worth of unused leaves.

But because of the pending cases against him before the Office of the Ombudsman, claiming the benefits due him may not be easy.

PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Bartolome Tobias said a policeman with pending cases can only get his retirement benefits provided someone holding a higher rank in the PNP will act as a guarantor for him.

In Purisima’s case, he holds the rank of director general or a four-star police general, which is the highest rank in the 150,000-strong PNP.

“This is a very unique or peculiar situation since it is the first time that this happened. We will study what can be done and what cannot be done,” Tobias said.

He said the benefits will not be released until the issue of the guarantor is not settled.

Should the Ombudsman order Purisima’s dismissal from the service, he would lose his retirement benefits altogether.

It may be recalled that Purisima and several other PNP officials were placed under preventive suspension for six months in connection with the more than 1,000 missing AK-47 rifles and the allegedly anomalous service contract to deliver gun licenses.

Purisima’s suspension is set to expire next week. He will be reporting to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit starting June 10.

However, he cannot go back to his former post as PNP chief since he resigned from the position in February at the height of the controversy over the Mamasapano incident.

The two police officials next in rank to Purisima, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina and Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr., will be retiring on July 19 this year and March 2, 2016, respectively.

Tobias noted that this is the second time in the history of the PNP that a four-star police general was placed on floating status.

In 1998, then President Joseph Estrada removed then Director General Santiago Alinio from the post of the PNP chief to appoint Chief Supt. Roberto Lastimoso, a one-star general.

Instead of opting for an early retirement, Alinio chose to be on floating status until the day he retired.

RELATED STORIES

‘Alan Purisima will be back on duty’

Purisima back? ‘Disturbing,’ says group

Espina: Purisima is back but not as PNP chief