MANILA, Philippines - Resigned interior undersecretary Rico Puno yesterday denied there were special arrangements in the department that gave him jurisdiction and control over the Philippine National Police (PNP), saying he was merely an observer.
Puno made the clarification before the Senate hearing presided over by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who repeatedly asked him if he had exclusive jurisdiction and control over the PNP despite his having been only an undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Puno denied he had that much power over the PNP. He said all he did was to represent the late secretary Jesse Robredo in matters related to the police and that he reported everything to Robredo.
Puno emphasized that operational control over the PNP remains with the PNP chief and if ever he was involved in any of its processes, it was only as an observer.
Santiago, however, cited the review by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee report on the Luneta hostage-taking incident in 2010, in which the recommendations to charge Puno with an administrative case were overturned.
Ochoa said there was no basis to file administrative charges against Puno, who as undersecretary for peace and order, was “directly in charge of PNP affairs pursuant to the order of the President.”
“You said earlier that you have no powers exclusive in nature over the PNP. How do you explain this discrepancy?” Santiago asked Puno.
“I do not know, your honor. I cannot comment on that,” Puno replied.
Santiago said that this was “a contradiction in written form,” for which Puno had no explanation.
“So clearly, one of you is lying. I suppose that would be Ochoa since he is not here anyway,” Santiago said.
Asked by reporters if Ochoa was the supposed mystery backer of Puno, she referred to her previous interviews. Santiago clarified this person is not affiliated with Malacañang, and this backer is with the private sector.
“That (information) will die with me today if they shoot me but maybe some other day I will reveal it if they keep on pressuring me,” she said.
According to Santiago, she felt the same pressure during the impeachment trial of former chief justice Renato Corona, where she was criticized in her election as a judge to the International Criminal Court.
In a briefing held after the hearing, Santiago said Puno continues to be a secretive and shadowy figure in her eyes.
While appreciating his presence in yesterday’s hearing, Santiago said Puno’s answers to her questions were “at best, fudged” and that his logic was beyond her understanding.
Lies, all lies
During the hearing, Puno slammed the accusations against him as all lies and totally baseless.
Puno read a prepared statement lamenting that his woes started as early as two months after he was appointed to the DILG and said they continued to this day in spite of his efforts to stay out of the limelight.
“Two years ago, I faced this body to answer accusations on illegal gambling. I was accused of being a top jueteng protector. My accusers wanted everyone to believe that even if I was only two months in office, I was able to rise to be a great power, that they featured me to be, in such a short time,” Puno said.
“Fortunately, what came out from these hearings as well as the hearings before the lower house is but one truth – my accusers had no evidence whatsoever to substantiate accusations. This only shows that my accusers either knowingly lied through their teeth or irresponsibly maligned my person on the strength, or if I may say, the weakness of their hearsay sources,” he added.
Santiago, chair of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revisions oof codes and laws, initiated the hearing to “evaluate” Puno in response to allegations of involvement in jueteng, illegal logging and alleged irregular procurement of firearms by the PNP.
Puno said his accusers, after failing to prove their allegations against him, resorted to propagating lies before Congress and the media.
“Eventually, my accusers relied on lies and baseless accusations. They depended on the erroneous saying that a lie repeated many times will eventually become the truth,” he said.
“I disagree with my accusers, to me a lie should remain a lie no matter how often it is repeated and the truth should be the truth no matter how strongly suppressed,” he added.
Puno pointed out that no case has been filed against him in spite of all the allegations thrown his way.
During the hearing, Puno took the opportunity to explain his alleged attempt to break in or raid the office and condominium unit of his former boss, shortly after the plane he took went missing.
Puno said his silence over the issue has led to widespread accusations against him, but stressed he had no choice but to keep this matter out of the public eye because of its sensitivity.
He maintained President Aquino gave him instructions to secure the offices of Robredo, a fact that was confirmed by the President himself.
“The accusations that I raided and ransacked the office and condo were truly unfair and unfounded. For the record, I would like to state that there was no such raid. It was an order to secure, witnessed by representatives of the late Secretary, elements of the Quezon City police, representatives of the office of internal security of the Secretary, regular guards of the building and my staff. Unfortunately and ironically if I may say, as the Constitution guarantees otherwise, my silence has been propagated to be a sign of guilt,” he said.
Puno also explained his position as undersecretary for peace and order at the DILG involves functions that require “strict confidence, security and protocol.”
“Violating the confidential nature of my function may expose people to danger or jeopardize their critical operations. Hence I am duty bound to act with restraint and circumspection when subject to serious personal attacks in the mass media. This is why I have opted not to react to speculative accusations that have been hurled against me by some media organizations,” he said.
“Instead of demanding accusers to prove their allegations, some sectors of media require me to prove my innocence. This has become a sad reality of our society. A reality which I do not wish to befall upon any ordinary citizen. Still, I would like to state that I can face anyone in the eyes and show that all these are all lies and this is why I am here,” he added.
‘Mr. Man’
Puno’s daughter Inna also defended the beleaguered official, particularly on allegations of his “unique relationship” with President Aquino and “power” in the DILG.
“Our family never used once this so-called ‘power’ or unique relationship with the President for our advantage. We still live in the same house, we have the same crew, the same cars, and the same standard of living. We still prefer staying at home and eating lunch on Sundays. We live simply, and we will be simple. My father is not a politician and we are not a political family. We serve the Filipino people because like the President, we believe in his daang matuwid (righteous path) life. And so I ask again, who will benefit from this position now that he has left,” Inna stated in her blog, the innaexperience.blogspot.com.
Inna said she became upset when her father resigned.
“It’s not because he’ll be at home all the time, but because he’s come so far, he’s done so much, and for what? I keep asking myself why he gave up on the people so easily? I keep asking myself why couldn’t he hold any longer? I was so proud of him, actually, we are so proud of him. He kept silent. He let the people think for themselves as different facts were unraveled as each day passes. After all the bad news, he was the only one smiling at home,” she said.
Inna also wrote on her blog accusing a “Mr. Man” of betraying her father.
“You may look good, you may have good intentions but how dare you enter our home, eat our food, and mingle with our family, only to what? What have we done to deserve this kind of treatment? How do you sleep at night knowing that you are ruining a man’s life only to reach a certain position?” she remarked.
Inna also accused a media network of being biased in its reporting, citing in particular the relationship of one of its staff.
“You may be the most popular network now, but if the people finally realize how you choose to report on news like that, you choose to do it just because one of your staff is related to somebody, shame on you, and shame on the way you report and ruin people’s lives. I can never trust you, and so will other people,” she said.