EDITORIAL - Procurement priorities

The Philippine National Police is expected to disclose in the coming days the results of its internal probe into the purchase in 2009 of three helicopters for the air unit of the PNP’s elite Special Action Force. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, has alleged that two of the three Robinson R44 Raven I and II helicopters, bought supposedly brand-new at a cost of P104.985 million, were actually second-hand.

Filipinos are generally suspicious of internal probes. Apart from the need to overcome this suspicion, the PNP must prepare for the possibility that the results of its internal investigation might end up being compared with the findings of a likely Senate probe into the helicopter deal. The PNP must make sure its investigation is credible and the results can stand up to scrutiny.

The scandal should also prompt a review of procurement priorities of the PNP. This is an organization that lacks basic equipment for law enforcement, from patrol cars and motorcycles to service firearms and even bond paper for preparing investigation reports. Should helicopters take precedence over those basic necessities? When helicopters are needed, it’s the military, not the police, which is called in. Wouldn’t P104.985 million be better spent on patrol cars or upgrading the facilities of the PNP Crime Laboratory?

We see cops conducting law enforcement operations on helicopters in Hollywood movies. But how many PNP members are trained to fly helicopters, or conduct police operations while airborne? Meanwhile, according to previous reports, PNP members lack service firearms, ammunition, patrol vehicles, and even gasoline for patrol activities. How much is aviation fuel for those three helicopters? Like airplanes, helicopters also need regular maintenance service, which does not come cheap.

Aircraft need maintenance and repair especially when they are already five years old, as Lacson says two of the three helicopters were at the time of their purchase by the PNP from Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. Whether or not Lacson is correct, those helicopters are a luxury the cash-strapped PNP cannot afford.