BIR ready to pounce on PNP’s Purisima if need be – Henares

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) says it will closely monitor investigations on PNP chief Dir. Gen. Alan Purisima and his alleged ill-gotten wealth.

 

"Pwede kaming sumabay, pwede kaming mag-antay, kasi pareho lang naman iyong ebidensya na titingnan," BIR commissioner Kim Henares said in an interview aired on GMA News TV's "Balitanghali."

 

Henares said that her office will wait for the results of the investigation and will file charges of tax evasion against Purisima if necessary.

 

An 'ordinary house'

Meanwhile, the PNP chief insisted in a media conference on Thursday that his controversial residence in Nueva Ecija is only an "ordinary house" and not a mansion or a villa as previously reported.

 

"Base po sa tax declaration on real property ng Nueva Ecija, ang assessment nila sa bahay ay P818,260. Ang market value, siyempre po, nag-a-appreciate 'yan through the years, ay P2,337,900. Diyan pa lang po makikita na malayong magiging mansiyon o villa ang aking bahay," Purisima said.

 

"Malinis po ang aking konsensya. Napakalinis po. Malinis na malinis," he emphasized. 

 

The police chief also showed pictures of his residence, which he said has a total floor area of 204 square meters – half the size of a basketball court. But it was eventually revealed that the house sits on 4.7 hectares of land, which included a nipa gazebo, a garage, and a swimming pool. 

 

Purisima also said that unlike his Nueva Ecija residence, which was gradually renovated by his family through the years, his official residence in Camp Crame was fixed through donations from friends. 

 

Moreover, he also explained that his bullet-proof SUV was borrowed from one of his friends and was necessary for his security.

 

"Wala po silang negosyo sa Philippine National Police," the police chief added. – Raffy Cabristante/VS, GMA News