PNP chief charged with plunder, graft

MANILA, Philippines - Plunder, graft and direct bribery charges have been filed with the Office of the Ombudsman against Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima for his allegedly amassing ill-gotten wealth and receiving bribes for the construction of a mansion inside Camp Crame.

The Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC) said it filed the complaints yesterday with the Office of the Ombudsman after Purisima failed or refused to release his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) despite clamor from various groups and concerned citizens.

The filing of the complaints comes as the PNP is trying to shake off its image as a rogue organization due to the involvement of a number of its officials in criminal activities, including kidnapping and extortion.

CFC’s Perfecto Jaime Tagalog said the indirect bribery charge stems from the PNP chief’s alleged admission that he received money and construction materials from his Mason brothers for the construction of his official residence at Camp Crame. In the PNP, the structure is called the White House.

Purisima is also being accused of hiding the true value of his alleged Nueva Ecija mansion, which he claims to be worth only P3.7 million.

“That declaring the mansion located at San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija in the amount of P3.7 million is clearly an act of under valuation or misdeclaration of value of the property, which is in violation of the guidelines in the filing of SALN,” Tagalog said.

A poultry farm, also in Nueva Ecija, was not included in his SALN, according to an ABS-CBN report.

At Malacañang, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Purisima should be given the opportunity to answer the accusations against him.

“We’ll allow the chief PNP or his spokesperson to respond to these allegations,” Valte said.

She claimed she only heard about the allegations against the police chief on the radio yesterday morning.

Ready with answers

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said Purisima is in Bogota, Colombia until Sept. 26 for an “anti-kidnapping and anti-extortion senior leadership consultation” but is ready to answer the allegations upon his return at the proper forum.

“These are allegations and if there are charges filed, it will be answered in the proper forum,” Sindac said.

In a special report on the program “Failon Ngayon” on ABS-CBN, Purisima reportedly has undeclared properties in San Leonardo town and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija and in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Ted Failon, the documentary host, said his team has been trying to get the side of Purisima but to no avail. The STAR also texted Purisima but the PNP chief did not reply.

In the documentary, Failon’s staff used a helicopter to get an aerial view of the mansion in Barangay Magpapalayok, San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija. The mansion has a swimming pool and barangay residents interviewed expressed belief the mansion is owned by Purisima.

In a certification dated Sept. 12, the San Leonardo Municipal registry certified that Purisima has no registered property in the town but in his and his wife Maria Ramona Lydia’s SALN, the Purisimas declared a property in the town worth P3.7 million.

Purisima, with a rank of director general or four-star general, receives a monthly salary of P67,500 while his wife earns P49,750 monthly as treasury examiner.

The couple also has a house and lot in Caloocan City, a vacant lot in Ilocos Sur and a condominium in Cubao.

An unidentified resident said she knew of a modern chicken farm owned by a certain Jojon, a nephew of Purisima.

The ABS-CBN exposé also showed Purisima has a construction business near the farm.

In a tax declaration of real property released by the Cabanatuan City Assessor’s Office, the property is registered in the name of Reiner Van Albert Purisima, and has a market value of about P2 million

During the episode, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares said Purisima and his children should be able to present their income tax returns supporting all the businesses and acquisition of the property. – Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy