‘White House’ opens gate but not front door, to media

Video by RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

For the first time since its construction in 2013, the controversial P11.4-million “White House” in Camp Crame—the official residence of the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP)—was opened to members of the media for “closure and transparency.”

Newly appointed PNP chief Director Gen. Ricardo Marquez opened the gates of the heavily secured compound where he is expected to live for the duration of his term, giving the media a peek of the facade of the new building and the older quarters, built way back in 1985, as well as the gazebo for guests.

But no one was allowed to actually enter the two-story structure for security measures.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said during a briefing yesterday that the bare White House will be furnished by its new occupants, which include the PNP chief and his wife and children.

Marquez will move into his new quarters over the weekend.

Media tour

Marquez conducted the media tour of the compound a day after he assumed post as the 20th PNP chief and was promoted to director general, a four-star rank.

In an interview after Thursday’s change-of-command ceremony, the new PNP chief said he is allowing a brief visit to his official residence, which, he quipped, is “really white.”

“This will be for closure, I suppose. There have been requests in the past months to see it. We also want transparency, so we want you to see it,” he said.

Marquez was referring to the controversy surrounding the construction of the PNP chief’s official residence in 2013, during the term of dismissed Director Gen. Alan Purisima. It was allegedly built at the cost of P25 million.

Private donors

But Purisima said the construction of the new building was made possible through funding from private donors, which amounted to P11 million.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had submitted a list of the supposed donors during a Senate hearing in September 2014.

At the height of the controversy, there was talk that the donations came from Purisima’s brothers in Freemasonry.

Purisima was the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines during his term as PNP chief, being a member of the Gen. Mariano Llanera Memorial Lodge 168 in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.

Marquez himself is a Freemason, being a member of the Kagitingan Lodge 286 in Makati City.

The new White House building was constructed in 2013 after the old building was severely flooded that year.

The new building has a floor area of 848.72 square meters while the old one, which is adjacent to it, has a floor area of 290 square meters.

The new official residence has two floors and is painted white.

Gated compound

The gated compound is located beside Gate 2 of Camp Crame along Boni Serrano Road, and is guarded by at least 10 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers.

The old building, also painted white, is now home to the security personnel guarding the compound.

Mayor said the old house is right beside a creek which serves as a catch basin of the area, including Camp Aguinaldo.

“That area is a low-lying area so it was often flooded…It was more practical to have a new building constructed than try to adjust the old building since it’s still getting flooded anyway,” the PNP spokesperson said.

Mayor said he himself has not yet seen the interior of the new building, since PNP officials and visitors are usually entertained at the gazebo.

During the time of PNP officer in charge Deputy Director Gen. Leonardo Espina, he has expressed willingness to allow media to have a look at the White House but said it would be up to the Office of the Ombudsman to allow this.

Mayor said the Ombudsman investigation into the White House, including its source of funding, is still in progress.

The PNP has began cleaning up and sprucing the White House for its new occupants as early as Wednesday, a day after Marquez’s appointment was announced by Roxas.

Purisima vacated the residence sometime in February after he resigned from his post as PNP chief, at the height of the controversy over the Jan. 25 SAF operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which left 44 troopers dead.

Espina did not move into the official quarters of the PNP chief during his seven-month stint as the PNP’s officer in charge since the residence is only for full-time heads of the PNP.