Ombudsman charges ex-PNP chief Verzosa, 7 others with graft

(Updated 5:13 p.m.) Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has ordered the filing of graft charges against former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa and seven other police officials in connection with the alleged anomalous purchase of 75 defective rubber boats in 2008.   In a resolution signed Sept. 26, Morales affirmed the findings of a special panel of investigators that the government “suffered undue injury” amounting to P131,550,000 with the irregular purchase of the rubber boats.   Aside from Verzosa, who retired from the police force in July this year, charged for violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) were:  

• Deputy Director General Jefferson Soriano,
• Deputy Director General Benjamin Belarmino, Jr.,
• Director Luizo Ticman,
• Director Ronald Roderos,
• Director Romeo Hilomen, Chief Superintendent
• Herold Ubalde, and
• Chief Superintedent Villamor Bumanglag

  Charges against 42 other respondents, however, were dismissed for insufficiency of evidence. Verzosa or any of the accused police officials has yet to issue a comment on the filing of charges.   According to the 109-page resolution, the PNP purchased through a negotiated procurement the 75 rubber boats and 18 spare engines or outboard motors in response to the destruction wrought by tropical cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng in 2008.   However, the equipment were never used for the purpose as it “took roughly six (6) months or 180 calendar days from the time the alternative mode of procurement was adopted before the needed PRBs (police rubber boats) and OBMs (outboard motors) were finally delivered,” a statement from the Office of the Ombudsman read, citing portions of the resolution.   It said the investigators also noted that upon delivery of the items, the PNP Maritime Group, through its Technical Inspection Committee on Watercrafts, “discovered various deficiencies in these equipment, which make their use risky to end-users.” The boats and engines were also allegedly not functional when fitted together, “thus, unusable for PNP’s disaster operation efforts," the resolution read.   The PNP, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), conducted the opening of bids for the purchase of the equipment on Sept. 9, 2008. Of the three bidders, only the joint venture of Enviro-Aire and Stoneworks Specialist International Corporation passed the eligibility and was set for post-qualification when Ondoy and Pepeng struck. The PNP BAC then recommended to the Verzosa the discontinuance of the bidding process and resort to negotiated procurement.   Records disclosed that the PNP entered into four separate supply contracts all dated December 18, 2009 with the following suppliers: EnviroAire for the supply of 93 units of OBMs with contract price of P44,175,000; EnviroAire for the supply of 10 units of PRB with contract price of P11,650,000; Geneve for the supply of 41 units of PRB with contract price of P47,765,000; and (d) Bay Industrial for the supply of 10 units of PRB with contract price of P11,650,000.   The case, which would be filed before the Sandiganbayan, stemmed from the complaint and supplemental complaint dated November 15, 2011 and February 17, 2012, respectively, filed by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices.    — KBK, GMA News