AN OFFICIAL said Tuesday he remained clueless about the claim of Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa that the Palace had approved the allocation for the bonuses of the country’s top policemen.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella denied that Malacañang gave the top policemen cash gifts of P100,000 to P400,000 each.
“Based on the last statement that I received from the PNP chief, they did not receive anything and that it seems that nothing is forthcoming,” Abella said.
He made his statement even as Senator Panfilo Lacson said he wanted the government to explain the source of funding for President Rodrigo Duterte’s Christmas bonus to key officials of the Philippine National Police.
“Where did the Christmas bonus come from. If it came from the intelligence funds, it cannot be used for bonuses,” said Lacson who was chief of police during the administration of Joseph Estrada.
He said if the funds came from a private source it was also not allowed, and because it would amount to bribery.
And if there were funds the money should be divided equally among all the members of the Philippine National Police.
Asked why Dela Rosa announced the alleged cash gifts from Malacañang, Abella said he knew nothing about it.
“What can I tell you authoritatively is that, according to General Bato, it has not been released and apparently it is not forthcoming,” Abella said.
But in a radio dzMM interview early Tuesday morning, Abella said it was Duterte who gave the P100,000 to P400,000 Christmas bonuses to each star-rank police official.
“It’s not yet certain where the funds came from. But definitely, it came from the President, he has his own funds. That’s all I can say at this stage, but I cannot say it’s fully confirmed,” Abella said.
Asked why the bonus was offered to only high-ranking officials, Abella also guaranteed, “We’ll find out, I’m sure that had a logical basis.”
On Monday, Dela Rosa said the Palace gave up to P400,000 but only to officers in the star rank and P50,000 to officials below this level.
Following his admission, he told reporters to stop pressing him on the cash gifts, saying it could be tapped from the President’s Intelligence Fund.
“Don’t ask where it comes from. But I tell you, it’s not from drugs. I suppose it comes from the President’s intelligence funds,” Dela Rosa told reporters.