Gov. Umali must explain call to PNP chief after Lee's arrest – House independent bloc

(Updated 5:18 p.m.) The House independent minority bloc on Monday called on House leaders to summon Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali to explain why he called up Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima regarding the arrest of real estate magnate Delfin Lee last week.

 

Reading from a prepared statement, Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked that Umali be summoned during the House question hour to justify the call he made to Purisima after Lee’s arrest.

 

“We want to hear from [Gov. Umali] directly if he, as the person who made the call to Gen. Purisima... [as] he has yet to issue an official and public admission of the act,” Romualdez said.

 

Lee, the founder of property developer Globe Asiatique, was arrested at a hotel in Malate on Thursday evening.

 

He faces a P6.6-billion syndicated estafa case for allegedly making false representations and creating false documents to secure housing loans from the Pag-IBIG fund.

 

Umali admitted on Friday that he called up Purisima regarding Lee’s arrest. The governor, however, denied he attempted to interfere in the businessman’s case.

 

He said he called Purisima to confirm that Lee had been arrested after the fugitive businessman's lawyer, Gilbert Repizo, called him.

 

Umali is the treasurer of the administration Liberal Party and is the brother of Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, an administration ally.

 

President Benigno Aquino III has heard Umali’s explanation for making the call to Purisima and is satisfied with it, Presidential spokesperson Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters on Monday.

 

Although the President is satisfied with Umali’s explanation, the House independent bloc still wants him to apologize to the victims of the alleged housing scam for his supposed intervention in the businessman’s arrest.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. told GMA News Online that the issue is "too small a matter for us."

"Just get a written report from Gen. Purisima and request Umali to submit his written explanation," Belmonte, who is also vice chairman of the Liberal Party, said.
 

According to the Rules of the House of Representatives, "a department head may be requested to appear before the House and be heard on any matter pertaining to the concerned department" for Question Hour.

The Rules of the House require requests to be made at least three days in advance with written questions sent to the Speaker beforehand. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News