By Ducky Paredes
WHY am I not surprised at (PNP) chief Alan Purisima’s testimony at the Senate hearing where he explained that he managed to purchase and build from the ground up a P3.7-million property in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija and that he came by it honestly?
The property is the basis of a plunder complaint filed against him by the Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC). Although the property is declared in his 2013 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), complainants say it is actually worth much more – between P30 million to P50 million.
Purisima told a Senate panel led by Senator Grace Poe that the 4.7 hectare property was acquired in 1998 for P150,000 but was only developed in 2002. The police chief, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1981, had been in the PNP for more than a decade by then.
According to Purisima, at the time he purchased the lot, he was chief of the regional intelligence and investigation division of the National Capital Region Police Office and then the operations officer of the Quezon City Police District.
By 2002, he was head of the Luzon Task Group and Luzon Area Office of the PNP, and then chief of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response.
Almost a decade after he bought the property, Purisima was assigned police director of Central Luzon
As PNP chief, Purisima earns around P107,000 ($2,380) monthly.
Purisima told the Senate that the construction of the house and development of the property was done over several years. “Paunti-unti ang pagco-construct niyan at may mga savings din po kami,” he said.
The police chief earlier hit his detractors, whom he claimed only filed cases against him because of ulterior motives.
“Pati nga po yung negosyong manukan na aming itinatag na korporasyon at bahay na naipundar ko sa marangal na paraan, pinupuntirya ng mga kalaban ko para lang maisulong ang kanilang kagustuhan,” he said.
The admission comes after a series of television news reports that exposed Purisima’s alleged undervalued property. Purisima had earlier denied that he was constructing a house in Nueva Ecija.
During the hearing, the PNP chief clarified that during that time, the house was already built, so there was no reason to say he was having one constructed.
Despite his lengthy explanation refuting allegations of corruption at the September 30 hearing, Poe reiterated her call for the PNP chief to go on leave, pending his investigation for plunder and graft raps.
The senator had earlier called on Purisima to take a leave of absence amid allegations of corruption and ineptitude. Poe repeated her call at the end of the hearing on Thursday, and said it wasn’t only because of the graft and plunder cases against Purisima.
“Bilang namumuno ng PNP, dapat pinaglalaban mo ‘yung mga pangangailangan ng iyong mga nasasakupan…pero ‘yung mga importanteng hearing, katulad ng budget ay hindi mo sinisipot, hindi ka lumalabas. Hindi nararamdaman ang iyong liderato, kaya ko nasabing coupled with the cases filed against him, not just because of the cases filed against him, perhaps he should take leave,” Poe said.
Purisima’s other sources of income include two companies – Aliakbar Hauling Trucking and Services and Ealraj Corporation, which was incorporated by Purisima, his wife, and their 4 sons. The police chief told the Senate he was not privy to how much Aliakbar earns yearly since he is not involved in the company’s daily operations.
At least three graft and plunder cases have been filed against Purisima over the Nueva Ecija property, an alleged anomalous deal in the PNP, and the construction of the PNP chief’s official residence inside Camp Crame, called the “White House.”
A good friend of President Benigno Aquino III, Purisima said he would not step down ahead of his scheduled retirement in November 2015. Aquino, meanwhile, has consistently defended Purisima and said it was not in the police chief’s character to be “greedy or luxurious.”
Why am I not surprised?
Our policemen know, more than anyone else, what is going on in our government. If they get discounts or great deals on their purchases, they think nothing wrong is going on because they see many in higher positions getting the same deal from others higher up who also think nothing of accepting such gifts. Thus, the fact that the “White House” in Camp Crame is the official residence of anyone who takes the post of PNP Chief makes it like Malacañang, the official residence of
the President. Thus, there is no shame or favor done to him personally as PNP chief for any donated work given by contractors.
People in government, most specially the police, are often gifted by those they have helped with discounts and deals not given to others in government. I have seen this in the case of relatives taken hostage and saved by the police unharmed.
Of course, rewards are offered by the families or the parents to those who saved their children.
As I see it, the PNP Chief was honest enough when he told the Senate his story.
A Senator asked why, in accepting the millions in restoration done on the White House, he did not think of providing a better hospital also in Camp Crame for the rank and file policemen who are injured in the line of duty since the hospital there pointedly lacks facilities, equipment and medicine.
Why? None was offered. If any were offered, this would have also been accepted.
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