Santiago bares recruitment anomaly at PNP

MANILA, Philippines – Senate foreign relations committee chairman Sen. Miriam Defensor- Santiago revealed yesterday a potentially explosive scam on the recruitment of new police officers at the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the senators grilled retired police comptroller Eliseo de la Paz where he could have gotten the undeclared 105,000 euros seized from him in Moscow last Oct. 11.

Santiago revealed that the possible source of the PNP’s secret funds is the budget allocations for recruitment of aspiring policemen.

During the Senate investigation into the Moscow snafu, Santiago revealed a so-called “PNP trainees’ scam” wherein the budget for recruits is converted into “savings” because the recruitment process starts by midyear even as the budget allocated for Congress for it covers an entire year.

In her Powerpoint presentation, Santiago said the annual budget provides for the salaries of police recruits from January to December but she cited PNP records revealing that police recruits were appointed six months or one year later.

Citing Commission on Audit (COA) reports, Santiago said that for the period of 2005, appointments were made in January to June 2006; in 2006, appointments were made in February 2007.

“If we are not appointing them, where is the salary going?” Santiago asked, noting that the monthly salary of new PNP recruits amounted to P15,000.

“Nobody receives that money because they do not appoint on time. They do it on purpose,” Santiago said.

Computing the “savings” out of PNP recruits, Santiago revealed that such can add up to P623 million for five years from 2005 to 2010.

“Where does this police budget go? They do not appoint on time. My theory is that this fund of P623 million becomes secret PNP funds,” Santiago said.

“You can take the travel expenses there. You can then take it abroad and deposit in your secret bank account,” she added.

Santiago theorized that, “It (budget) becomes secret PNP funds for travel expenses or for deposit in secret bank accounts abroad, or for bribing other public officials or for corruptive propaganda.”

In an interview, the feisty senator said she felt sorry for De la Paz for allegedly trying to “cover up for his superiors.”

“He should not cover up for his superiors. I feel sorry for De la Paz and I wish he could change his mind,” she said.

Earlier, De la Paz said the 105,000 euros seized in his possession by Moscow authorities are still intact and will soon be returned to the PNP.

“Although the amount of 105,000 euros remains still in Russia, I’ve been informed that the amount will be returned to the Philippine National Police in due time,” he said.

“There have been no loss to the government then once it is remitted back to us,” De la Paz said.