PNP vows to cooperate in probe on police purchase of patrol vehicles

PNP Spokesperson Sr. Supt. Benigno Durana. INQUIRER.net photo / Gabriel Pabico Lalu

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has committed to work with possible investigating bodies after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the purchase of police service vehicles from Columbian Auto.

“Well, definitely the Philippine National Police will fully cooperate in whatever investigation that will be conducted by a competent body, be it the Ombudsman or the Senate,” PNP Spokesperson Sr. Supt. Benigno Durana said in a press briefing on Tuesday inside Camp Crame.

“Taking off from the pronouncement of the President that any agency, whether it’s PNP, has the duty to care, to make sure that people’s money should be spent for the benefit of the people only,” he added.

In its audit report of the PNP for 2017, COA said that the purchase of patrol jeeps Mahindra Enforcer and Mahindra Scorpio “pushed back” the police force’s Capability Enhancement Program (CEP), because the vehicles frequently broke down.

In the same briefing, Durana reiterated PNP’s stand that they should not be blamed regarding the issue, because it was the Department of Budget and Management of the previous administration who made the purchase.

“In fact, the purchase by the Mahindra was made by the procurement service of the Department of Budget and Management,” he said in a previous report.

READ: Don’t look at us: PNP points to DBM on purchase of Mahindra patrol cars

COA recommended that the PNP conduct an operational assessment of the vehicles, create a memorandum circular to address the standards specifications of assets, and require all provincial regional offices to submit a quarterly report on the vehicles.

The commission also advised PNP to only involve DBM in the procurement of commonly used office supplies, “to lessen the payment of costly service fees especially for major procurements.”

For PNP’s part, Durana said that they would comply with the recommendation, saying: “We will comply with the COA recommendations. Actually, the PNP was very much a part in the preparation of that report,” he said. /jpv