Boat deal: 19 PNP officials dismissed

MANILA, Philippines - For the purchase of defective rubber boats without public bidding, 19 Philippine National Police officials, along with the resident PNP accountant and auditor, have been dismissed from the service for violations of the Anti-Graft and Practices Act and gross neglect of duty.

The Office of the Ombudsman also ordered the perpetual disqualification of the 19 from government service, forfeiture of their retirement benefits and cancellation of their civil service eligibility.

Ordered dismissed were Chief Superintendents Villamor Bumanglag, Reynaldo Rafal, Rizaldo Tungala Jr. and George Piano; Sr. Supts. Ferdinand Yuzon, Cornelio Salinas, Thomas Abellar, Nepomuceno Magno Corpus Jr., Rico Payonga, Alex Sarmiento, Aleto Jeremy Mirasol, Michael Amor Filart and Asher Dolina; Supts. Job Marasigan, Leodegario Visaya and Henry Duque; Chief Inspectors Juanito Estrebor and Renelfa Saculles; and PO3 Avensuel Dy.

Also sacked were PNP accounting division chief Antonio Retrato and PNP resident auditor Jaime Sañares. Suppliers Roselle Ferrer and Pacita Umali of Four Petals Trading (FPT), which sold the defective boats, were ordered charged.

The resolution said the dismissal stemmed from the anomalous purchase of rubber boats, which turned out to be defective, but were still paid the full amount of P4.54 million in 2009.  The PNP chief at the time was Jesus Verzosa.

The boats were procured “without public bidding and, despite glaring defects noted during delivery, were certified to have passed the acceptance criteria.”

The defects included the lack of water temperature gauges, fuel gauges, engine oil pressure gauges and speedometers. Some engines were also not operational.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales pointed out that the supplier was not even a technically, legally and financially capable supplier given that it has a residential address, has no company website and is not known in the coastal craft-building industry.

Dolina, then the chairman of the bids and awards committee, said he feels “persecuted” with the dismissal as he stressed that he was among the whistle-blowers who tried to prevent the PNP higher-ups from paying the contract.

He added that the ombudsman decision sends the wrong signal to those who try to correct a wrong.

In an emotional speech during the swearing in of 597 new police recruits at Camp Ruperto Kangleon in Palo, Leyte on Oct. 16, Dolina said he was undergoing a major trial in his life at that very moment as he urged the new police officers that “in all your actions, you have to be accountable not only to the PNP, but to the people in general.” Dolina was the PNP regional director for Eastern Visayas.

“What you will learn from your training will equip you to veer away from distractions, because at the end of the day, you can say to God and to men that you have done the things that you needed to do,” he added. With Lalaine Jimenea, Jennifer Rendon