Purisima, Petrasanta police records now marked ‘dismissed’

THE  Philippine National Police has officially marked the service records of resigned chief Director General Alan Purisima and Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, contender for the top PNP post,  as “dismissed.”

Signed by Deputy Director General Danilo Constantino, chief of the directorial staff, the PNP has issued an order sacking Purisima, Petrasanta and eight police officials in compliance with the directive from the Office of the Ombudsman last Tuesday.

Also dismissed under General Orders 1494 dated July 1, 2015 were former Firearms and Explosives Office officials Senior Supt. Allan Parreño, Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto, Senior Supt. Melchor Reyes, Supt. Lenbell Fabia, Chief Insp. Sonia Calixto, Chief Insp. Nelson Bautista, Chief Insp. Ricardo Zapata Jr., and Senior Insp. Ford Tuazon.

The PNP has yet to release the dismissal order of  Police Director Napoleon Estilles, who had retired from service  prior to the Ombudsman’s decision.

“By virtue of this document, service records of the officials had been marked dismissed,” Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said in a press briefing on Thursday.

Mayor said copies of the order would be sent to the personal address and offices of their respective units. The Ombudsman gave the PNP five days to implement the order.

The officials will be forfeited of their retirement benefits, prevented from taking Civil Service Examinations, and will be perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

In the case of Estilles, who had started receiving his benefits when he bowed out of service in July last year, the Ombudsman directed him to pay a fine equivalent to his one-year salary.  Julliane Love de Jesus

But on Wednesday, PNP officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said the officials could still appeal their dismissal.

Espina said they could avail legal remedies, including the filing of motion for reconsideration before the Ombudsman or a petition for review to the Court of Appeals.

The sacked officials were found liable for grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and serious dishonesty when they entered an allegedly anomalous contract with Werfast Documentation Agency, a courier service firm delivering overpriced gun licenses, worth P100 million in 2011.