It’s official: Purisima is fired

PNP Director General Alan Purisima. AP FILE PHOTO

The Philippine National Police has formally dismissed its former chief and nine other officers over the allegedly anomalous contract with a courier service to deliver gun licenses to applicants’ homes.

The dismissal order for resigned Director General Alan Purisima and the other officers was dated July 1 and signed by Deputy Director General Danilo Constantino, chief of the directorial staff.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said the dismissal order was in compliance with an Ombudsman directive given on Tuesday.

“This is part of the PNP’s compliance with the Ombudsman. We were given five days to comply and we will send this document to the Ombudsman as proof of compliance,” said Mayor in a briefing in Camp Crame on Thursday.

Aside from Purisima, fired were Chief Supt. Allan Parreno, Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto, Senior Supt. Melchor Reyes, Supt. Nelson Bautista, Supt. Lenbell Fabia, Chief Insp. Sonia Calixto, Chief Insp. Ricardo Zapata Jr. and Senior Insp. Ford Tuazon.

Included in the group was Director Napoleon Estilles who retired last year. Mayor said he would be fined the equivalent of one year’s salary, to be collected by the Ombudsman.

The officers were dismissed in connection with a deal with Werfast Documentary Agency to use a commercial courier service to deliver firearm licenses to gun owners at their addresses. The delivery fee was supposedly higher than the regular fee charged by the same company and other courier firms to deliver a similar package.

The officers earlier each served a six-month preventive suspension in connection with the case.

Purisima resigned in February as PNP chief over the Mamasapano incident in which 44 elite police commandos were killed. Petrasanta was said to be President Aquino’s choice for next PNP chief.

As a result of their dismissal, Purisima and the others will lose all retirement benefits and may never work in government again.

Mayor said that although the Ombudsman’s order was immediately executory, the dismissed officers could still file a motion for reconsideration with the Ombudsman or file a petition for review in the Court of Appeals.

He said each officer would be furnished a copy of the PNP’s and the Ombudsman’s orders through their offices, after which they would be told by their administrative officers of their dismissal from the service.

“By virtue of this document, the records of these police officials will indicate that they have been dismissed, so the personnel and accounting service, the finance service and retirement service will be furnished copies as well,” the PNP spokesperson said.

With Purisima’s dismissal, the highest rank of director general in the PNP—which is a four-star rank—is unfilled.

Since December, the PNP has been led by Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina in officer-in-charge capacity since Purisima was still a four-star police officer albeit under suspension.