PNP chief told: Answer P100-M plunder charge

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima should answer the P100-million plunder charge against him before the Office of the Ombudsman and not resort to a “blame game,” a lawyer said Friday.

Coeli Fiel, who represents complainant Glenn Gerard Ricafranca, said Purisima should be held accountable under the principle of command responsibility for the “highly anomalous” contract with Werfast Documentation Agency for the delivery of firearms licenses.

“We could not dismiss his (Purisima’s) close association with the officials of Werfast,” Fiel said, noting that among the incorporators of Werfast is Mario Juan, reportedly a close friend of the PNP chief.

Fiel alleged that “the most important fact” about Werfast is that its authorized capital is only P1 million, its subscribed capital only P250,000 and the paid-up capital is only P62,500.

“How can such a small amount guarantee a multi-million transaction in the government?” the lawyer asked.

Fiel noted that Werfast allegedly used LBC, another courier firm, to deliver the licenses and charged the gun owners P190 each. LBC reportedly charged Werfast P90 for every delivery, which meant Werfast earned P100 million as there were around one million gun owners in the country, Fiel said.

Not liable

Earlier, Purisima claimed he could not be held liable for the agreement since he was not the PNP chief when it was sealed and the plunder charge has no basis because no government funds were involved.

Purisima pointed out that the memorandum of agreement between the PNP and Werfast was signed during the term of his predecessor, retired general Raul Bacalzo.

Ricafranca, who is from Legazpi City, Albay, filed a complaint of plunder and graft against Purisima, former PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) head Chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles and officials of Werfast.

The agreement was signed between the PNP and Werfast, headed by Ireneo Bacolod, who had once headed the PNP Civil Security Group (CSG), which supervises the FEO.

The PNP-FEO said Ricafranca’s name is not listed in its database as a legitimate gun holder. Ricafranca said he thought of buying a handgun for protection last month and so he inquired with the PNP about firearms license and registration. 

Public scrutiny

The existence of the agreement with Werfast came to the public’s attention after Purisima shut down all the satellite offices of the FEO around the country,  centralized the processing of gun licenses at the FEO’s head office at Camp Crame and appointed Werfast as the sole delivery service of the PNP for the firearms licenses, Ricafranca said.

PNP public information office head Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said the CSG formally terminated Werfast’s services on March 17 following complaints from gun owners that their licenses were either delivered late or not delivered at all.

He said the PNP is crafting the terms of reference for the accreditation of another courier service provider that will deliver the licenses to firearms owners.