‘Purisima’ collected P1 B from casino – but for whom?

Nearly a billion pesos in casino earnings for sports development has been diverted to a person named “Alan La Madrid Purisima.” Withheld from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in Jan. 2012 to June 2015, the money was given monthly by First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., documents show.

Forty-one acknowledgment receipts, on First Cagayan letterhead, cover the odd transactions. All bear an amount “representing five percent of casino collections.”

R.A. 6847, the 1990 law that established the PSC, entitles it to five percent of the gross earnings of state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). Yet Pagcor reflects in its financial reports only the gross earnings and corresponding five-percent remittances to the PSC of its 11 in-house casinos.

Unmentioned in Pagcor’s financial statements are its gross earnings from 14 private licensees, one of which is First Cagayan. As such, the PSC’s five-percent income shares were reduced, papers reveal.

The sources of the documents hint that payee Purisima is well known to the administration of President Noynoy Aquino. They quietly have checked with the NBI the authenticity of signatures. Graft charges are being readied.

There used to be an infamous Alan La Madrid Purisima in the P-Noy admin. He used to be director-general of the Philippine National Police, until sacked by the Ombudsman for graft in June 2015. The cases concerned the grant of a plum document-delivery contract to a shell company allegedly owned by his friends, and the erection of a PNP Chief’s mansion at Camp Crame GHQ out of unauthorized contributions.

P-Noy’s close-in security during the tenure of his President-mother Cory Aquino, Purisima is said to be his bosom buddy. In Jan. 2015 P-Noy had entrusted to the then-suspended Purisima the supervision of the Mamasapano raid, the botching of which led to the massacre of 44 police commandos.

As police general, Purisima had nothing to do with Pagcor operations, or with sports development.

Still, the name “Alan La Madrid Purisima” appears as recipient of a total of P937,424,003.85 from First Cagayan. The sources said payee “Purisima” must have been drawing the money for a higher-up.

All the acknowledgment receipts had the “conforme” signature of one Alfredo B. Benitez.

The 41 tranches were as follows:

2012

(1) P36,722,304.15, Jan. 5-Feb. 4;

(2) P40,384,124.10, Feb. 5-Mar. 4;

(3) P24,691,082.90, Mar. 5-Apr. 4;

(4) P19,242,721.50, Apr. 5-May 4;

(5) P21,131,552.20, May 5-June 4;

(6) P20,011,226.80, June 5-July 4;

(7) P25,683,372.50, July 5-Aug. 4;

(8) P23,791,743.25, Aug. 5-Sept. 4;

(9) P21,811,964.75, Sept. 5-Oct. 4;

(10) P17,439,578.95, Oct. 5-Nov. 4;

(11) P22,296,114.65. Nov. 5-Dec. 4;

(12) P27,918,827.25, Dec. 5-Jan. 4, 2013;

2013

(13) P27,261,948.10, Jan. 5-Feb. 4;

(14) P31,972,451.30, Feb. 5-Mar. 4;

(15) P23,521,713.80, Mar. 5-Apr. 4;

(16) P16,898,364.55, Apr. 5-May 4;

(17) P20,659,194.15, May 5-June 4;

(18) P21,582,206.90, June 5-July 4;

(19) P24,146,823.75, July 5-Aug. 4;

(20) P22,951,136.05, Aug. 5-Sept. 4;

(21) P18,462,749.30, Sept. 5-Oct. 4;

(22) P17,731,939.50, Oct. 5-Nov. 4;

(23) P19,495,302.65, Nov. 5-Dec. 5;

(24) P25,814,512.75, Dec. 5-Jan. 4, 2014

2014

(25) P19,141,952.65, Jan. 5-Feb. 4;

(26) P23,885,247.15, Feb. 5-Mar. 4;

(27) P26,928,318.85, Mar. 5-Apr. 4;

(28) P17,684,216.50, Apr. 5-May 4;

(29) P18,996,856.10, May 5-June 4;

(30) P19,511,298.75, June 5-July 4;

(31) P21,178,815.20, July 5-Aug. 4;

(32) P20,956,446.90, Aug. 5-Sept. 4;

(33) P22,176,518.30, Sept. 5-Oct. 4;

(34) P16,835,712.45, Oct. 5-Nov. 4;

(35) P18,586,196.85, Nov. 5-Dec. 4;

(36) P23,151,672.40, Dec. 5-Jan. 4, 2015;

2015

(37) P27,238,386.85, Jan. 5-Feb. 4;

(38) P25,697,137.50, Feb. 5-Mar. 4;

(39) P21,981,572.45, Mar. 5-Apr. 4;

(40) P18,376,871.80, Apr. 5-May 4; and

(41) P23,473,827.35, May 5-June 4.

First Cagayan’s yearly payments to “Purisima” amounted to P301,124,613 in 2012, P270,498,342.80 in 2013, P249,033,252.10 in 2014, and P116,767,795.95 in the first five months of 2015.

PSC’s financial submissions to the Commission on Audit show a stark difference. Its total five-percent take from Pagcor’s 11 in-house casinos were only slightly double what First Cagayan alone gave to “Purisima.”

The amounts received by the PSC are as follows: P659,074,565.77 for 2012, P654,940,270.53 for 2013, P704,044,812.72 in 2014, and P361,206,246.04 in the first five months of 2015.

The PSC is to spend the Pagcor endowment to advance sports and promote excellence among the youth, and to train Olympic-class athletes.

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