Purisima not going back to Crame

Director General Alan Purisima, resigned Philippine National Police chief, has served a six-month preventive suspension but he won’t be showing up in Camp Crame, the PNP national headquarters in Quezon City.

The country’s former top cop filed a leave of absence after the end of the suspension that the Office of the Ombudsman had meted out in connection with graft and plunder cases filed against him.

The PNP spokesman, Senior Supt. Bartolome Tobias, said Purisima filed his application for a leave of absence last week. The application was approved.

“The suspension of Purisima ends today and he should be back with the PNP. But he filed a leave effective June 10 until July,” Tobias said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.

It was not immediately clear until when the former PNP chief would be on leave, but Tobias said Purisima could opt to extend his leave since he has leave credits.

“He has leave credits left and he can extend [his leave] if he wants to. To take a leave is a right,” the PNP spokesperson said.

He is set to retire on Nov. 23 upon reaching 56.

Police personnel and the public alike were expecting Purisima’s return to the PNP, as he, along with several other police officials, was coming from the preventive suspension.

Their suspension stemmed from graft and plunder complaints filed in the Office of the Ombudsman, particularly the allegedly anomalous delivery contract for gun licenses and the case of over 1,000 missing AK-47 rifles.

Upon the end of his suspension, Purisima was supposed to report to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit had he not filed a leave of absence.

However, Purisima cannot be designated to his former post as PNP chief because he resigned the position in February at the height of the controversy over the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident.

Forty-four members of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) hunting terrorists died in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, when they ran into Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a group that broke away from the MILF. The encounter also left 17 MILF fighters and three civilians dead.

While serving his suspension, Purisima was giving directives to the SAF implementing “Oplan Exodus” that targeted two terrorists hiding in Maguindanao.

In the Senate, Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Grace Poe on Tuesday called for the filing of charges against Purisima in connection with his role in the Mamasapano incident.

Marcos, delivering a privilege speech, urged President Aquino to fire Purisima and file charges against him.

In his speech, titled “Where is justice?,” Marcos said Purisima’s hold on power continued despite being pummeled for his involvement in the police operations in Mamasapano.

“It appears that he has a strong hold on the President,” Marcos said of Purisima.

The senator noted that Aquino had announced that Purisima would leave the police service and that the President had accepted his resignation “effective immediately.”

“What happened to delicadeza and word of honor?” Marcos asked as he wondered why the President was “holding the PNP hostage to the whims and caprices of a few.”

“Please, Mr. President. Please, for the sake of an enduring peace, listen to your people. Listen to your heart. Do the right thing: Fire Purisima. At the very least, genuinely abide by your clear and unequivocal decision to accept his resignation, which was to be effective immediately—not effective temporarily,” Marcos said in his speech.

The senator also sought the filing of appropriate charges against Purisima “for crimes against the people.”

Among the charges that Purisima should face include usurpation of authority or official functions, for violating the chain of command, for gross misconduct and negligence that needlessly cost the lives of our policemen, he said.

Marcos also urged Aquino to appoint a permanent PNP chief.

“Bring the killers of our SAF 44 to justice. Then and only then can our fallen SAF 44 truly rest in peace,” he added.

After his privilege speech, Poe stood up on the floor and reminded that the Purisima issue was important “as we mirror the principle in government service that public office is public trust.”

Poe said she had filed two committee reports on Purisima on his involvement in the Mamasapano incident for the consideration of the Ombudsman.

“I will repeat that Director General Alan Purisima should be held accountable,” she said.

The Senior Officers Placement and Promotions Board, meanwhile, will be deliberating the next assignments of Purisima and the other police officials, who had been placed under preventive suspension.

Tobias said Purisima’s filing of a leave of absence was different from filing for nonduty status, since he was set to retire in November.

Nonduty status is a privilege given to policemen, during which they are given time to prepare requirements and finish their obligations to the PNP three months before their retirement.

One can enjoy a leave of absence as long as he has leave credits. Both the nonduty status and the leave of absence are with pay.

Purisima is one of many top PNP officials set to retire this year. The PNP officer in charge, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, is retiring on July 19 although Mr. Aquino has yet to name a full-time PNP chief.

Next in line after Espina is Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr., the deputy chief for operations, who is set to retire on March 2, 2016.

Also set to retire this year are Director Rolando Purruganan of the directorate for comptrollership; Director Carmelo Valmoria of the National Capital Region Police Office; Director Getulio Napeñas, former chief of the Special Action Force; and, Chief Supt. Antonio Viernes of the Human Rights Affairs Office.