PNP executes Ombudsman’s order to dismiss Purisima, 9 others

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima (Photo from Journal Online)

MANILA – Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima and nine other officials were formally dismissed from service in compliance with an Ombudsman’s directive.

“This is part of the PNP’s compliance with the Ombudsman. We were given five days to comply and we will send this document to the Ombudsman as proof of compliance,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said in a press briefing.

Aside from Purisima, the nine other PNP officials ousted from their posts were Police Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto, Senior Superintendent Allan Parreño, Senior Supt. Melchor Reyes, Supt. Lenbell Fabia, Chief Inspector Nelson Bautista, Chief Inspector Sonia Calixto, Chief Inspector Ricardo Zapata Jr., and Senior Inspector Ford Tuazon.

The police officials were ordered dismissed from service in connection with their anomalous transaction with a courier service. They earlier served six-month preventive suspensions.

The PNP’s dismissal order was signed by Deputy Director General Danilo Constantino. The police officials were then forfeited of retirement benefits and barred from government employment.

“By virtue of this document, the records of these police officials will indicate that they have been dismissed, so the personnel and accounting service, the finance service and retirement service will be furnished copies as well,” Constantino said.

The sacked PNP officials, for their part, could file a motion for reconsideration with the Ombudsman or bring the matter to the Court of Appeals.

Collateral damage

Meanwhile, Petrasanta’s inclusion in the sacked PNP officials took away any chances he had of being appointed as the next PNP chief.

The former police chief was supposedly scheduled to return to his office after serving his preventive suspension.

Petrasanta’s lawyer Alex Avisado Jr. then regarded to the dismissal as a ‘collateral damage’ which was ‘obviously designed to derail his appointment as the next PNP chief,’

“The Ombudsman wrongly assumed that it was PCSupt. Petrasanta who recommended Werfast to be the exclusive courier of PNP,” Avisado said, adding that his client will definitely file an appeal. “She (Ombudsman) would have easily concluded that there was no basis to include Gen. Petrasanta in this Werfast anomaly.”

Aside from Petrasanta, other contenders for the top PNP post were Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo, Director Benjamin Magalong and Director Juanito Vaño.