SAF woes

Another controversy hounds the Philippine National Police, to the tune of around P60 million. Thirteen Special Action Force (SAF) policemen filed charges for plunder and malversation of public funds against four SAF officials for allegedly withholding their daily Additional Subsistence Allowance (ASA), amounting to around P30 a day, or P900 per month, per person. Nine hundred pesos a month may not be a large amount. Perhaps the four officials also thought so. Perhaps they believed they could use the funds somewhere else. But about 4,000 SAF policemen did not receive their ASA. They only received their ASA for January of 2016 and January to July of 2017. The other months were not serviced. Because of this, one of Gen. dela Rosa’s last acts as PNP chief was to order the relief of the four SAF officials, pending an investigation into the matter.

The first explanation given by the relieved SAF official was that the funds went to the SAF assigned to the New Bilibid Prisons. As to what for, he did not elaborate. Now he is saying that the funds went to “operational expenses, fellowship and trainings.” However, when the officials met with the complainants, they could not produce documents supporting said operational expenses, fellowship and trainings. What exactly are the operational expenses? And can the funds allocated to the ASA be appropriated somewhere else? I thought that was deemed illegal.

About P37 million has been returned by one of the relieved SAF officials. According to Gen. dela Rosa, the SAF have nothing to worry about as they will get their ASA. That’s not the point. There are so many questions to ask. Where is the remaining P23 million or so? If P37 million was available all along, why was it not given to the SAF who have not received their ASA for months? What were they planning to do with that money? If the complainants did not raise the issue, would they have eventually disbursed the funds properly? Where are they going to get the missing P23 million? Is it acceptable enough that the funds supposedly went to the SAF assigned to the NBP, or that they were used here and there without any documentation?

General dela Rosa just cannot say there is nothing to worry, that the SAF will get their ASA. Dela Rosa just cannot seem to get away from controversy. But is dela Rosa’s assurance enough, coming from a former PNP chief? Are the explanations of the four officials enough? The PNP seems so awash with cash it can just spend on whatever comes along, such as operational expenses, fellowship and trainings. One wonders if there are other funds the PNP just “moves around.” And where is President Duterte’s wrath? Doesn’t he hit the ceiling when a “whiff or corruption” takes place? Doesn’t he fire people accused of corruption? Or does he give enough room and leeway to the PNP and AFP as to how they spend their funds?