MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino and Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II are expected to discuss in the coming week the appointment of a permanent replacement for resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima.
In a televised address last Friday, the President accepted the resignation of Purisima in the face of growing public anger over the deaths of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos during a clash with hundreds of guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.
Purisima was alleged to have led the operation by “remote control” even if he was serving a six-month suspension order from the Office of the Ombudsman over corruption allegations.
Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina is serving as PNP officer-in-charge but is retiring in July.
The suspension order on Purisima – issued on Dec. 4 last year – ends in June. The resigned PNP chief is set to retire in November.
Officers and PNP employees have been complaining about having to deal with two police chiefs. The police force is also agonizing over allegations that it was Purisima who directed the operation against the two international terror suspects in Mamasapano, Maguindanao even while under suspension.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda yesterday said over radio dzRB that Purisima decided to resign to give the President a free hand in choosing a replacement.
He said the new PNP chief should provide continuity and certainly improve the morale of the PNP.
“We are continuing to address all these concerns as well. For instance, again...the families of the SAF heroes who died in Mamasapano. They want justice and that’s part of the institutional buildup or morale buildup of the PNP, and certainly we look forward to the appointment of a new PNP chief,” Lacierda said.
No names yet
Lacierda said they have no names yet of those being considered for the top PNP post.
He said he would rather hold off giving general statements on the personality and characteristics an appointee should possess.
“I can give you motherhood statements like he should be a man of his own...We know what kind of a person should lead the PNP. He should be a man...who exercises leadership, a man who is capable of reforming, pursuing reforms in the PNP, a man who is respected within the ranks and all those,” he said.
“But those qualities, among other qualities, will be taken into consideration by the President and in discussion with the secretary of the interior and local government,” Lacierda said.
With Purisima out and Espina nearing retirement, directorial staff chief Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr. emerges as a possible contender, being the most senior police officer in the PNP.
Garbo, a member of PMA Class 1981, would have enough time to initiate reforms as his retirement is still considerably far ahead – on March 2, 2016.
There are at least five other members of the PMA Class 81 in the PNP but they are also about to retire in the coming months.
Garbo earned the trust of Aquino for his handling of the controversial suspension of Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia during his term as regional director of Central Visayas.
The next in line are members of PMA Class ’82 who are occupying sensitive positions in the PNP.
They are Director Benjamin Magalong, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and head of the Board of Inquiry formed to investigate the Mamasapano encounter; Director Carmelo Valmoria, chief of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO); and Director Ricardo Marquez, head of PNP Directorate for Operations.
Valmoria, who led the SAF forces who drove away Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels from Zamboanga City and restored order in Tacloban City when it was hit by massive looting after Super Typhoon Yolanda, will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 16.
Magalong and Marquez will retire on Dec. 15 and Aug. 28, respectively.
Although the PNP observes seniority, it was disregarded during the Arroyo administration.
Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo skipped PMA Class 1975 when she appointed Jesus Verzosa of PMA Class 1976 to replace Avelino Razon Jr. of PMA Class 1974.
When he assumed office, President Aquino kept Verzosa, who was later succeeded by Director General Raul Bacalzo of Class 1977. Aquino would later take a big appointment leap by appointing Nicanor Bartolome of PMA Class ’80.
Aquino, however, cut short Bartolome’s term and appointed Purisima.
It has been common knowledge in the PNP that Aquino was actually eyeing Central Luzon regional director Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta of PMA Class ’84, who is known for being close to the Aquino sisters. However, Petrasanta was among those ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman over missing firearms.
Under Republic Act 6975 or the law establishing the PNP under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, any police official with star rank, meaning with the rank of chief superintendent and up, is qualified for appointment as PNP chief.
Get answers from probe
Asked if Aquino was admitting that Purisima led the Mamasapano operation by accepting his resignation, Lacierda said the role of the suspended PNP chief would be revealed in his testimony before the Board of Inquiry, or in the Senate or the House of Representatives.
“Let’s just wait for the testimony of General Purisima in addition to what he has already stated (Friday) in several interviews that he granted...to the two networks, I believe,” Lacierda said.
Purisima broke his silence Friday night after Aquino delivered his second televised national address on Mamasapano, saying he provided “actionable information” but was not in command of the Jan. 25 operation.
He said he provided the “intelligence packet” for the operation to get top terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Abdul Basit Usman.
Purisima also thanked the President for giving him the chance to serve.
He promised to face the Senate on Monday and denied accusations of wrongdoing that led to his six-month suspension on corruption charges by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Purisima denied that he was pressured to resign, saying he quit to give Aquino more room to act on the problems arising from the Mamasapano operation.
The resigned PNP chief also denied that he was with Aquino in Zamboanga City on Jan. 25, waiting for the SAF team to present the wanted terrorists. Purisima said he was a guest speaker the previous day in Nueva Ecija.
At the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame, spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo said Espina has instructed the PNP leadership to continue with its work of enforcing the law in the wake of Purisima’s resignation.
“The Philippine National Police is looking forward given this development,” said Cerbo.
“The PNP is a strong institution. We easily adjust to leadership changes,” Cerbo added.
Name replacement now
Meanwhile, Sens. Francis Escudero and Antonio Trillanes IV lauded the President’s decision to let go of Purisima.
Escudero said the President should be commended for putting the interest of the PNP as an organization before his personal friendship and preferences.
But he said the President should have already named a replacement for Purisima during his address.
“He still did not name a permanent PNP chief in order to provide stability and direction in the PNP at this difficult time. I urge him to appoint one at the soonest,” Escudero said.
Trillanes expressed belief the President’s speech had been well received by the public but also stressed the latter should have already announced Purisima’s replacement.
He suggested that Espina be named as the permanent replacement of Purisima even though he is set to retire in July.
“Now that Gen. Purisima is out, I was hoping that Gen. Espina would be appointed permanently so that there would not be a problem in transition, especially during this time,” Trillanes said over radio dwIZ.
Trillanes said that Espina would be an ideal PNP chief while Malacañang should start vetting his replacement in preparation for his retirement in July.
He said that keeping Espina at the helm of the PNP would allow him to continue focusing on the current crisis being faced by the organization.
Sen. Grace Poe, for her part, said that she expects the President to name a permanent PNP chief in the coming days.
“In order to have a clear chain of command (in the PNP), a replacement should be named right away,” Poe said. - Marvin Sy, Mike Frialde, Cecille Suerte-Felipe