The Office of the Ombudsman has sacked 19 top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) over an allegedly anomalous procurement of rubber boats in 2009.
In a statement on Friday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the dismissal from service of the following top cops for grave misconduct: P/SSupt. Asher Dolina, P/SSupt. Ferdinand Yuzon, P/SSupt. Cornelio Salinas, P/SSupt. Thomas Abellar, P/SSupt. Nepomuceno Magno Corpus Jr., P/SSupt. Rico Payonga, P/CSupt. Reynaldo Rafal, P/CSupt. Rizaldo Tungala Jr., P/SSupt. Alex Sarmiento, P/SSupt. Aleto Jeremy Mirasol, P/Supt. Michael Amor Filart, PO3 Avensuel Dy, P/Supt. Job Marasigan, P/Supt. Leodegario Visaya, P/CInsp. Juanito Estrebor and P/CInsp. Renelfa Saculles.
Dolina, now Eastern Visayas regional director, has a stellar background as former Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG)-National Capital Region chief.
Dolina was part of the intelligence team in 1995 which destroyed the network of international terrorist Ramzi Yousef, who planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II in his Manila visit.
It was also under Dolina’s term in 2006 as CIDG chief when six Magdalo soldiers and former soldier, now Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan, were ordered arrested in a foiled coup against the Arroyo administration.
Dolina also headed the Joint Task Force Leyte during the Jan. 2015 visit of Pope Francis in Tacloban and Palo. He was in charge of crowd control.
Meanwhile, ordered dismissed for Grave Misconduct and Gross Neglect of Duty are P/Supt. Henry Duque and PNP Accounting Division Chief Antonio Retrato.
Sacked for Gross Neglect of Duty are P/CSupt. George Piano and Commission on Audit Auditor for the PNP Jaime Sañares.
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They were also meted out with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and cancellation of civil service eligibility.
Morales likewise approved the filing of graft charges against them for the anomalous deal.
Their dismissal due to administrative liability stemmed from graft allegations of an anomalous procurement involving 16 police coastal crafts worth P4.54 million.
Ombudsman investigators said in 2009, the PNP issued a resolution for the procurement of 20 rubber boats with a P5 million budget. But P/CSupt. Villamor Bumanglag, a former Maritime Group director, moved for an increase of unit price to P312,000 from P250,000, reducing the number of units to 16 police coastal crafts.
In Aug. 2010, the PNP paid the supplier Four Petals Trading (FPT) P4.54 million despite defects in the boats.
The boats were also procured without public bidding. When the boats were delivered in March 2010, some defects were already noted. Despite these, the boats passed the end-user’s specification, the Ombudsman said.
Among the defects the Ombudsman found are: lack of water temperature gauges, fuel gauges, engine oil pressure gauges and speedometers; engines were not operational; no rudder posts, one damaged outrigger; no ampere gauge; no canvass; no hole back portion for starboard side; no alternator; stacked-up transmission; and no heater plug.
The Ombudsman also found several procurement violations.
The agency said the supplier FPT used undated and unnumbered procurement documents. The supplier was also not technically, legally and financially capable supplier because its address is located in a residential area with no company website. It is also not known in the coastal craft-building industry.
“(T)he significant events leading to the procurement of 16 PCCs would not only reveal badges of irregularities but also of haste and preference to buy from FPT as the sole and only choice of supplier for coastal crafts,” Ombudsman Morales said.
Set to face charges of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) are Bumanglag, Piano, Dolina, Yuzon, Salinas, Corpus, Jr., Abellar, Payonga, Duque, Retrato, Marasigan, Visaya, Estrebor, Saculles, Dy, Rafal, Tungala, Jr., Sarmiento, Mirasol, Sañares, Filart, as well as Roselle Ferrer and Pacita Umali of Four Petals Trading.
Under the antigraft law, Section 3 (e) prohibits public officials from causing any undue injury to any party, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his or her official duties.
Morales also approved the filing of additional charges of Falsification of Public Documents against Piano and Duque.
Morales directed Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento and PNP chief Ricardo Marquez to implement the dismissal. IDL