Legal means sought to halt pay deductions for POSLAI

A number of provincial policemen-members of the foreclosed Police Savings and Loan Association, Inc. (POSLAI) are reportedly mulling to seek legal remedies to get their deposits back.

Manila’s Finest Retirees Association, Inc. (MFRAI) president, retired police Col. Felicisimo Lazaro, lamented that there are unsuspecting policemen-members of POSLAI in the Visayas and Mindanao who are being deducted P3,000 a month. He cited the cases of PO1 June Lemenze of the Regional Mobile Group in San Fernando, Pampanga and SPO1 Rumpa Abdul of Buldon police station in Maguindanao, who are still getting deductions from their monthly salaries despite having fully paid their loans.

These policemen-victims came to Manila and sought legal advice from the MFRAI on how they can recover their deposits from the dissolved quasi-bank. "They are planning to seek court action to recover their deposits," Lazaro said.

Lazaro said the three main problems that are now being encountered by POSLAI member-depositors are intentional over-deductions on their fully paid loans, willful and unhampered deductions made for POSLAI by the PNP Finance Center, and the failure of the PNP Finance Center and Computer Service to implement the stoppage of deductions.

Police retirees in Metro Manila filed 23 counts of estafa charges against nine POSLAI officers and board of trustees. The case is presently being heard at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 22. All the accused have posted bail of P575,000 each.

Lazaro said the revocation of POSLAI’s license to operate was at least within the parallel move of the government to other loan associations which have been defrauding the public for a long time now. "The discovery of the banking scam moves other depositors to be more alert. The MFRAI serves as the pilot in the discovery of other bank scams," he said.

The MFRAI has also called the attention of Philippine National Police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. over the continuing salary deductions being undertaken by the PNP’s Finance Center on policemen nationwide representing their deposits and loan payments for the foreclosed quasi-bank.

Taking up the cudgels for the more than 1,000 affected policemen nationwide, the MFRAI bewailed the illegal deductions, saying POSLAI "officially ceased to operate and its offices already closed" since October last year.

"We are wondering where the salary deductions go as POSLAI no longer exists," Lazaro asked.