Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered on Tuesday (June 30) the dismissal from the Philippine National Police (PNP) of Director Gen. Alan Purisima and 10 other PNP officials over an anomalous courier service contract four years ago.
In a 50-page consolidated decision, Morales found substantial evidence to hold Purisma and other police officials liable for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and grave abuse of authority for entering a contract with Werfast Documentary Agency (Werfast) in 2011.
The other high-ranking officials ordered dismissed belonged to the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO), namely:
Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta
Chief Supt. Napoleon Estilles
Senior Supt. Allan Parrefio
Senior Supt. Eduardo Acierto
Senior Supt. Melchor Reyes
Supt. Lenbell Fabia
Chief Insp. Sonia Calixto
Chief lnsp. Nelson Bautista
Chief Insp. Ricardo Zapata Jr.
Senior Insp. Ford Tuazon
Aside from dismissal from the service, other penalties were also ordered to be meted out for the police officials: forfeiture of retirement benefits, cancellation of eligibility, bar from taking civil service examinations, and perpetual disqualification from re-employment in government service.
The case stemmed from two separate complaints filed in 2014 by private citizen Glenn Gerard Ricafranca and the Fact-Finding Investigation Bureau of the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (FFIB-MOLEO) regarding the engagement and accreditation of Werfast as the provider of courier services for renewed firearms licenses.
The ruling held that the FEO Courier Services Accreditation Board (CSAB) disregarded the criteria and forthwith accredited Werfast despite its non-submission of clearance from the PNP Directorate for Intelligence, lack of authority to operate a delivery service, and lack of accreditation by the Department of Science and Technology as it was not even qualified for failing to meet the required capitalization of P500,000.00 to operate in two or more regions in the country.
“Evidence shows not only that Purisima knew what he was doing in signing the Meneses Memorandum but that he himself exerted pressure and coercion over his subordinates on behalf of Werfast,” the ruling stated after noting that earnest efforts exerted by other departments of the PNP to review, comment on, inject precautionary measures and legal compliance with the desired arrangement with Werfast went unheeded.
