The former budget officer of the PNP-Special Action Force on Tuesday admitted that he kept P37 million of undisbursed additional subsistence allowance of SAF troopers.
In his testimony during the Senate public order commitee hearing on the alleged illegal withholding of SAF allowance, former SAF budget officer Senior Supt. Andre Dizon said the funds remained in his custody even after he was relieved from SAF.
"It’s in my custody sir after we were relieved from SAF sir," Dizon said.
Dizon said he carried the money for months alone as the SAF apparently still did not immediately have a replacement for him as a budget officer.
When questioned by Senator Panfilo Lacson whether he asked his superiors before the move, he admitted that he had done it without the instruction of his immediate boss, embattled former SAF chief Director Benjamin Lusad.
Dizon insisted the decision to keep the money in his custody was his discretion because SAF apparently did not have a replacement for him yet.
But Lacson would not buy the alibi of Dizon. “It’s hard to believe that you kept in your custody such amount of money,” Lacson told Dizon
The senator then asked Dizon why the allowances for February to December 2016 were only released in lump sum in May 2018.
“The committee would like to find out where the P37 million came from. Kung hindi nagkaroon ng threat, hindi mare-release ’yung lump sum [where did the P37 million come from. If there was no threat, probably the lump sum was not released],” he said.
Lacson said SAF troopers who engage in life-threatening police operations are supposed to receive ASA amounting to P30 per day, which translates to P900 per month.
Former SAF officials, including Dizon and Director Lusad, are facing charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for the alleged misuse of P59.8 million worth of allowances of SAF commandos.
In April, Dizon returned the P37 million, which he said represents the undisbursed allowances from 2016 to 2017.
Lacson asked where did the P37 million come from after he was told that the SAF allowances were used for the organized messing of SAF troopers deployed at the National Bilibid Prison.
Dizon also said that there was a three to six months delay in the releasing of funds, citing internal PNP requirements and procedures being implemented.