THE Ombudsman on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and 10 other PNP officials for entering into an anomalous contract with a courier service, WerFast Documentary Agency in 2011.
In a 50-page consolidated decision, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales found substantial evidence to hold Purisima liable for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and grave abuse of authority.
“Evidence shows not only that Purisima knew what he was doing in signing the (Police Director Gil) Meneses memorandum but that he himself exerted pressure and coercion over his subordinates on behalf of WerFast,” the decision stated.
Aside from dismissal from the service, other penalties include forfeiture of retirement benefits, cancellation of eligibility, and perpetual disqualification from re-employment in government service.
The 10 others meted the same fate were PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles, Senior Superintendent Allan Parreño, Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto Senior Superintendent Melchor Reyes, Superintendent Lenbell Fabia, Chief Inspector Sonia Calixto, Chief Inspector Nelson Bautista, Chief Inspector Ricardo Zapata Jr. and Senior Inspector Ford Tuazon.
Purisima was charged by a private citizen in a P100 million case alleging plunder, graft and abuse of authority over the use of the courier service to deliver firearms licenses.
Glenn Gerard Ricafranca of Legazpi City filed the case with the Ombudsman on April 16, alleging that the contract between the PNP and WerFast Documentary Agency was anomalous.
In his complaint, Ricafranca said in March 2014, he thought of buying a handgun for protection.
He inquired with the PNP regarding the license and gun registration and learned that firearms license cards were now being mandatorily delivered to each licensee by the WerFast Documentary Agency.
Ricafranca said he learned that in May 2011, Estilles and WerFast entered into a memorandum of agreement for the delivery of gun licenses cards.
He said the agreement was signed in May 2011 but WerFast only got its certificate of incorporation from the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 10, 2011, which meant that WerFast had no juridical personality to enter into the agreement.
Besides that, WerFast was not an authorized courier delivery service recognized by the government, and one of its incorporators, Mario Juan, was a good friend of Purisima, while Enrique Valerio, who represented the PNP in the agreement, was Purisima’s best friend, Ricafranca said.
He added that retired police general Ireneio Bacolod, a high ranking officer of WerFast, used to head the PNP Civil Security Group, the unit which has administrative supervision over the FEO. Bacolod was also the former boss of Purisima.
Ricafranca added that the PNP FEO had been receiving complaints from applicants over the delay in the delivery or non-delivery of firearm license cards, and that no receipts were issued.
Other applicants complained that it took up to three months for the gun license to be delivered to them.
When the license card was finally delivered, the courier name indicated was LBC and not WerFast, Recafranca said. LBC charges only P90 for a similar package while WerFast charges P190, he said.
He said the difference of P100 in the delivery charge would unduly benefit WerFast by as much as P100 million, based on about 1 million firearm owners in the country.
On April 8, the Supreme Court sitting en banc issued a temporary restraining order and ordered the PNP to stop using any courier services to delivered firearms license cards.
In his complaint, Ricafranca said,” It is clear that WerFast was getting undue favors from the PNP under the leadership of respondent Purisima without regard to the expenses and inconvenience it will cause to every citizen who lawfully owns or will own firearms.”
At the Palace, a spokesman said President Benigno Aquino III, who is close friends with Purisima, would meet with Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II to discuss police matters Tuesday afternoon.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., however, would not say if the meeting would tackle the question of who the next PNP chief would be.
He also said the Palace would first verify the report that the Ombudsman had ordered Purisima and 10 other police officials dismissed from service.
“We will await the official copy of the Resolution from the Office of the Ombudsman for us to be able to properly address this matter,” Coloma said in a text message. – With Sandy Araneta
