SENATOR Panfilo Lacson wants the Senate to investigate the P59.8-million mess involving the withholding of daily subsistence allowances and explosive ordnance disposal hazardous pay for the Philippine National Police’s elite Special Action Force.
“We cannot allow, yet again, another injustice to be committed against our heroes in uniform who are in the forefront of our fight against the ills of terrorism and criminality, lest we risk demoralization within their ranks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police-Special Action Force Director Noli Taliño on Tuesday said the police officer involved in an alleged misuse of funds had returned P37 million from the missing P60 million in police funds.
Taliño said former SAF budget and control officer Senior Supt. Andrei Dizon returned the P37 million in cash: P10 million on April 12 and P27 million on April 16.
Taliño said former SAF Director Benjamin Lusad claimed to have used the P60-million subsistence allowance for SAF operations and activities.
Lacson, who headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001, said the unlawful withholding of those funds, if true, “constitutes a criminal or unlawful act and runs counter to the evident policy of the President to increase the pay of our military and uniformed personnel in order to repay them for their sacrifices.”
He said the withholding of such allowances, if true, threatened to demoralize members of the SAF, the front-liners in fighting terrorism and criminality.
Lacson, head of the Senate public order committee, filed Senate Resolution 712, citing the need to revisit existing laws and their implementation to make sure police officers received the benefits due them and to punish erring parties.
His resolution directs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the alleged illegal withholding of the release of the allowances.
It seeks to propose remedial legislation “to correct the same and put a stop to this unlawful practice to the prejudice of the intended beneficiaries.”
To strengthen the SAF, some 4,000 members who engage in life-threatening police operations are entitled to a daily additional subsistence allowance of P30 a day (P900 a month) and allocations for EOD Hazardous Pay. This is usually given by the unit’s finance sergeant every quarter.
Yet Lacson cited records showing the 4,000 SAF members only got their share of ASA for January 2016 and January to July 2017.
Lacson said members of the SAF had approached him to air their grievances on the matter, furnishing his office a copy of their complaint affidavit and annexes filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
When confronted with the issue of the non-release of ASA, then SAF head Director Benjamin Lusad and SAF budget officer Senior Superintendent Andre Dizon admitted they got the unreleased ASA and admitted using the amounts for operational expenses, fellowship and training, but without showing proof of the liquidation.