Ombudsman orders charges vs. Purisima, 11 police officials

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of graft charges against dismissed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima and 11 other police officers for their alleged  involvement in the anomalous courier services contract with Werfast Documentation Agency Inc. (Werfast) in 2011.

Also to be charged with violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) before the Sandiganbayan were PNP officials Napoleon Estilles, Gil Meneses, Raul Petrasanta, Allan Parreño, Eduardo Acierto, Melchor Reyes, Lenbell Fabia, Sonia Calixto, Nelson Bautista, Ford Tuazon, and Ricardo Zapata Jr., according to an Ombudsman press statement Friday.

Included in the charge sheet as well were WERFAST incorporators Mario Juan, Salud Bautista, Enrique Valerio, Lorna Perena, and Juliana Pasia.

The Ombudsman, in a 10-page Consolidated Order, affirmed the finding of probable cause against the respondents, noting that WERFAST had no corporate existence and juridical personality when the PNP engaged its services through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in May 2011.

It said the MOA authorized WERFAST to have the sole responsibility of setting up an online system for firearms license application and delivery. 

The Ombudsman said there was no public bidding conducted and the MOA was entered into despite WERFAST’s lack of track record as a courier service company.

The anti-graft body said PNP officials admitted that the documents submitted by WERFAST for accreditation were incomplete, meeting only the minimum requirements, giving absolute credence to WERFAST’s representation that it has a joint venture with CMIT Consultancy Group, Inc. and PHILREM.

The investigation also uncovered that WERFAST engaged the services of LBC wherein WERFAST collected P190.00 for deliveries within Metro Manila and P290 for outside of Metro Manila, when other courier service providers charge only P90.00 within Metro Manila.

Morales said “the document trail-from the execution of the MOA to the issuance of an accreditation policy, subsequent mandatory imposition of courier service fee deliveries, until accreditation of WERFAST- reveals measures undertaken to mask a long line of violations.”

Section 3(e) of R.A. No. 3019, public officials are prohibited from causing any undue injury to any party, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.

Purisima, Petrasanta, and the other police officials were dismissed from service in 2015 by the Ombudsman over the courier service deal.

In April 2016, the Court of Appeals reversed the earlier Ombudsman decision and granted a plea from Petrasanta that he be reinstated. 

In its ruling, the CA said it found that Petrasanta was not involved in any conspiracy as he was merely a subordinate of Purisima, who the court ruled was the one to blame for the anomaly. —Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMA News