PNP welcomes Senate probe on alleged P58.8-M unreleased allowances for SAF

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has welcomed the proposed Senate probe into the alleged withholding of subsistence allowance for the elite unit Special Action Force amounting to around P58.849 million.

"The PNP assures the availability of the concerned PNP officers to face any investigation. That is actually the purpose of their relief and reassignment to the holding unit to ensure their availability and preclude them from exerting any influence on these investigations," PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said in a statement.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, said in his Senate Resolution 712 that withholding such allowances, if true, threatens to demoralize members of the SAF, who are the frontliners in fighting terrorism and criminality.

"We cannot allow, yet again, another injustice to be committed against our heroes in uniform who are in the forefront of our fight against the ills of terrorism and criminality, lest we risk demoralization within their ranks. Thus the need to probe into the said allegations,” he said.

The resolution directs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to conduct an inquiry on the issue.

He said there is a need to revisit existing laws and their implementation to make sure police officers receive the benefits due them and to punish the erring parties concerned.

The resolution also seeks to propose remedial legislation “to correct the same and put a stop to this unlawful practice to the prejudice of the intended beneficiaries.”

Former and active SAF members filed complaints of malversation of public funds, plunder and administrative complaints for grave misconduct against former SAF chief Director Benjamin Lusad for allegedly failing to distribute two years' worth of their daily additional subsistence allowance (ASA).

Lusad's former budget and fiscal officer Senior Superintendent Andre Dizon, Senior Police Officer 2 Maila Bustamante and Senior Police Officer 1 Jack James Irica were named as Lusad's co-accused in the complaint.

The complainants alleged that during Lusad's term as SAF chief from July 2016 to January 2018 they were only given their ASA for the months of January 2016 and January to July 2017.

Lusad, the current chief of the PNP Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Southern Luzon, and Dizon, who serves as DIPO-SL Administrative and Resource Management Division chief, have already been relieved from their posts.

Bustamante and Irica, assigned in the PNP-SAF Finance, have also been relieved.

Each SAF commando is entitled to receive an additional daily subsistence allowance of P30 per day or P900 a month due to the dangerous nature of their operations.

This is over and above the regular subsistence allowance of P60 per day given to PNP uniformed personnel to support their meal requirement.

Outgoing PNP chief Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa said that Dizon has returned P37 million and was given in two tranches, P10 million and then P27 million.

This was confirmed by SAF chief Director Noli Taliño who said the P10 million was given on April 12, just a day before the plunder and malversation complaints were filed before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices.

The P27 million, on the other hand, was returned on April 16.

Taliño said that some SAF commandos have already received the additional subsistence allowance as the distribution started on Monday.

He said that according to Lusad, the funds were used in "operations" and "activities of the group" instead of its intended purpose. —KG, GMA News