Alan Purisima back on duty after six-month suspension

Philippine National Police OIC Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina has confirmed that resigned PNP Chief Director General Alan Purisima will be back on duty after his six-month preventive suspension ends this week.

Espina said Purisima went through a regular preventive suspension process to ensure that he wouldn't use his position to influence the outcome of the case against him.

“After six months back to duty status na. Hindi penal in nature 'yung preventive suspension so back to duty status yung isang tao,” Espina told reporters.

“Normally, they assume the same position [after suspension] pero I don't know with the former PNP
chief kasi nag-resign siya,” he said.

The Office of the Ombudsman in early December ordered the Purisima and several other police officials to be placed on preventive suspension in connection with graft charges. The case has stemmed from alleged anomalous contracts that the PNP entered into with a courier service in 2011.

Purisima resigned as PNP chief in February after the Mamasapano incident on Jan. 25. However, his stint as a police officer has yet to end. He is slated to retire in November this year.

While he is expected to be on floating status in the PNP, Purisima will remain as the police officer with the highest rank as director-general, the equivalent of a four-star general in the Armed Forces.

Purisima came under fire for supposedly giving orders in connection with the operation against suspected terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Bassit Usman even when he was already suspended in connection with the anomalous courier deal.

The operation led to the death of Marwan but also resulted in the deaths of dozens of police commandos, Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, and a few civilians.

The incident put into question the wisdom of continuing the peace process with the MILF and resulted in the suspension of the congressional deliberations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The BBL was the embodiment of the peace agreement the government reached with the MILF in 2014.

GMA News Online has been trying to reach Purisima through his lawyer Kristoffer Purisima but calls have yet to be returned as of posting time. —Andrei Medina/NB, GMA News