Purisima, 10 other dismissed PNP officials may still get P1M from unused leaves

Published July 2, 2015 11:19am

(Updated 11:56 a.m.) Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima and 10 other PNP officials who were dismissed by the Ombudsman earlier this week may still receive more than P1 million each even with the forfeiture of their retirement benefits.

A report on Unang Balita on Thursday said the amount will come from the leave credits they were not able to use while they were still in service.

Purisima and the other officials were held liable for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and grave abuse of authority, in connection with an anomalous contract with courier service Werfast Documentary Agency (Werfast) in 2011.

Aside from dismissal from service, other penalties include forfeiture of retirement benefits, cancellation of eligibility, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service. They are also barred from taking civil service examinations.

Other officials facing the same fate are:

* PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) P/CSupt. Raul Petrasanta

* P/CSupt. Napoleon Estilles

* P/SSupt. Allan Parreño

* P/SSupt. Eduardo Acierto

* P/SSupt. Melchor Reyes

* P/Supt. Lenbell Fabia

* P/CInsp. Sonia Calixto

* P/CInsp. Nelson Bautista

* P/CInsp. Ricardo Zapata Jr.

* P/SInsp. Ford Tuazon.

The Unang Balita report quoted the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) as saying that the officials may file a motion for reconsideration if they wisdh to question the decision.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Alex Avisado, lawyer of Petrasanta, said they will contest the dismissal before the COurt of Appeals.

"Confident naman kami talaga na kung matitingnan, makikitang walang kasalanan [ang kliyente ko]," he said.

He added that the timing of the ruling was meant to derail the appointment of his client as the new chief of the PNP.

Petrasanta was seen as one of the contenders for the post, with earlier reports saying House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. supposedly wrote to President Benigno Aquino III endorsing him.

^{The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday, July 2, moved to enforce the suspension order filed by the Ombudsman against former PNP Chief Director Gen. Alan Purisima and 10 others. Saleema Refran}

Immediately executory

At a press briefing on Wednesday, outgoing PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said the Obudsman's order is "immediately executory."

"This is immediately executory. I will serve it, implement it, and return the service within five days to the competend authority that is the Ombudsman," Espina said.

He added: "Because it is immediately executory, nagtanong po ako ng all the legalities and I was informed by our legal office so i-e-execute na 'yan, may legal remedies and we will wait for that, but as of now, ito lang."

He added that the dismissal of Purisima and the 10 other officials would not have much impact on the operations of the PNP.

"Wala hong leadership crisis because I'm the leader," Espina said. "It just so happened that those involved in the case are high-ranking, pero as an organization, you should understand that the PNP continues to perform its duties whatever happens -- if Number One falls, the Number Two takes over, if Number Two falls, Number Three takes over."

He added: "There can be no room for us to have a vacuum because that will be a terrible consequence on the people we serve and we owe to if we if don't have this kind of inherent function."

As for Purisima dismissed from service still carrying the four-star rank, Espina said, "We will just await for the orders."

The law provides that only one official may have the four-star rank at a time. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/JJ/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: werfast, pnpchiefalanpurisima