Robredo's findings on firearms probe still a mystery a year after his death

A year after Jesse Robredo died in a plane crash, the content and development of the investigation he initated as head of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the cancelled bidding of allegedly overpriced M4 rifles remains a mystery.

The investigation on the alleged anomaly, where a ranking DILG official at that time was linked, has led many to speculate foul play in Robredo's death, although civil aviation authorities who looked into the plane crash ruled this out.

A check with both the DILG and the Philippine National Police (PNP), which is under the DILG, revealed that officials have no information where the investigation led to.

Robredo's successor, Secretary Manuel Roxas II, said he has yet to receive any report on the matter.

“Ang gagawin ko, tatanungin ko 'yung mga dating staff ni Secretary Jesse para alam ko kung ano ang issue na 'yan,” Roxas said in an interview Thursday at Camp Crame after a command conference with Metro Manila mayors.

“Ang alam ko there were some rifles na supposed to be binili o hindi nabili,” he said, adding that no report was forwarded to him as the deal did not push through.

“Hindi nga natuloy, di ba? Nangyari ito hindi pa naman ako DILG (secretary). Walang pending, walang ongoing na dumating sa desk ko,” Roxas said.

The investigation was said to be the reason behind the resignation of then-DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno, who was being linked to the alleged anomaly.

Investigation

In June 2012, President Benigno Aquino III ordered Robredo to probe the bidding of the rifles after learning, through a search on the internet, that the firearms can be bought at a price lower than what was offered by the bidder.

Puno, a shooting buddy of Aquino and was then sitting as an observer in the bidding, was implicated in the alleged overpricing after it was reported that he has links with weapons supplier R. Espineli Trading, whose president reportedly joined him on a trip to Israel in May 2012.

Puno, former PNP Special Action Force director Leocadio Santiago, BAC observer Ramiro Lopez III, and R. Espineli Trading president Reynaldo Espineli allegedly flew to Israel on May 10 upon the invitation of Israel Military Industries (IMI).

Espineli Trading was later disqualified by bids and awards committee.

In an interview with GMA News then, Puno said he went to Israel with his family for a holiday. In a separate interview, Espineli said he invited Puno to join him on a tour of IWI’s factory when he found out that the Puno family was in Israel for a pilgrimage.

Suspicion on Puno grew after he allegedly tried to get into Robredo's condominium unit in Quezon City shortly after Robredo's death. It was in that condominium unit that the late DILG secretary, who perished in a plane crash, reportedly kept the sensitive documents related to the investigation.

Aquino, however, said he instructed Puno to “seal the office of Sec. Robredo, to ensure that all of his records will be kept intact.”

It was Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who later on secured the "sensitive documents." She, however, refused to say what these sensitive documents supposedly contain.

Puno resigned from his post in September 2012, weeks after Robredo died.

Missing report?

The DILG legal service, meanwhile, said the supposed investigation did not reach their office as there was no DILG personnel involved.

Lawyer Mar delos Santos, Attorney III at DILG Legal Service, said Puno was not under their jurisdiction as he was a presidential appointee.

“(We have) no documentation (regarding) the investigation on the alleged overpriced deal,” he said.

Malacañang did not reply to GMANews Online's inquiry on the status of the investigation.

As for the PNP, Senior Superintendent Ruel Obusan, head of PNP Bids and Awards Committee, said he does not know what happened to the investigation. He said no police official was charged because the questioned deal was not consumated.

“Nakita na walang problema on the part of PNP. Nobody has won (the bidding) yet, walang complaint and walang injured party,” Obusan told GMA News Online.

Obusan was not yet with BAC when the bidding was conducted.

He said that then-BAC head, former PNP deputy director general Emelito Sarmiento, was not the one who prepared the prices but the Procurement Management Committee (PMC), which determines the price based on market study.

“Hindi BAC ang nagpe-prepare ng presyo, it is not within the BAC,” he said, adding he believes the officials involved had already been admonished.

Obusan noted that since the purchase of M4 did not push through, they will be conducting another bidding to procure it.

Pistols

He said another bidding was conducted for the purchase of Glock 17 Generation 4 9mm pistols, which were distributed to PNP personnel recently.

In July, Aquino himself led the distribution of 22,603 pistols as part of the government's effort to arm each police officer in the country with a handgun. The pistols were part of the 74,879 handguns procured by the PNP as part of the P1-billion contract to fully fill up the handgun requirement of the police force.

In his speech during the event, the President thanked Robredo for the initiative to arm gunless police officers.

“Sa ganitong positibong pag-usad ng programa, nalalapit na tayo sa katuparan ng layunin nating 1:1 police-to-pistol ratio. Kung mayroon pong isang tao na tiyak matutuwa sa katuparan ng adhikaing ito para sa kapulisan, ito po ay ang dating Kalihim ng DILG na si Jesse Robredo,” said Aquino.

“Malinaw sa kaniyang matagal nang pinapasan ng mga pulis ang kalbaryo sa kakulangan ng armas, kaya pinangunahan niya ang paghahanap ng akmang solusyon. Hindi man natin siya kasama ngayong umaga, siguradong ipinagmamalaki niya ang tagumpay nating ito,” he added. — KBK, GMA News