Special committee probed ‘overpriced’ boats, engines issue since March — PNP Chief Bacalzo

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police had created a ‘special committee’ to investigate  75 units of rubber boats, and 93 outboard motor engines which were not compatible with the former, as early as March of this year,  even before a directive from Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo was released recently to look into the matter.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo said he appointed  Lani-O Nerez,  PNP Director for Research and Development , to spearhead  the special body back then.

“This is an open (case),” Bacalzo said, adding that it was “not really a secret matter.” He explained that the PNP leadership had received a report on the boats from PNP Maritime Group director Chief Superintendent Francisco Montenegro in October last year. He then ordered the Directorate for Logistics to investigate the case

The PNP chief said that he created the special committee after several inspections into the procurement of the equipment. He described  the investigation as ‘tedious’ as they had to “inspect the items one by one.”

He said that the engines, all in good working order,  were not compatible with the boats since the latter were only capable of handling 40 horsepower engines. The dealer who had been  awarded the contract , Enviro-Aire, had delivered 60 horsepower engines to the police instead.

Bacalzo said that he had endorsed the special committee’s report to Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which had been tasked by Secretary Robredo, to look into the case.

Robredo told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday that the 75 rubber boats and 93 outboard motor engines worth P131.5 million, procured in February 2010, were “most likely overpriced and unusable.”