The Philippine National Police paid an overpriced P131 million for 75 rubber boats and 93 outboard motor engines that were too heavy for the boats.
“Kung mangyayari po yung Ondoy, meron po tayong rubber boat na sinasagwan. Kasi pag inangkas mo yung outboard motor sa rubber boat eh palagay ko obvious yung mangyayari (If another Ondoy happens, we would be rowing rubber boats. Because if you put the outboard motors on the rubber boats, it’s obvious what would happen),” Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said.
The secretary thus ordered the filing of appropriate charges against several police officials, including two-star police general Chief Superintendent George Piano, PNP director for logistics, and Senior Superintendents Luis Saligumba, Nolan Antonio, Edgar Paatan, and Mansue Lukban, chief of the management division of the directorate for comptrollership. Also possibly liable in the anomalies is Police Officer 3 Avensuel Dy, property inspector.
Piano, Saligumba, Antonio, and Paatan were members of the acceptance/inspection committee that certified and accepted as brand new and in place all the equipment purchased by the PNP in 2009 but were later discovered to be anomalous.
Ex-PNP chief may be liable
Even former PNP chief, Jesus Verzosa, who signed all the vouchers for the purchases, is being made to explain of the anomalous purchases.
“I think he should explain because these involve a huge amount of money and the accountability is with the former chief PNP,” Robredo said.
But the DILG chief denied that he was singling out Verzosa in the anomaly.
“I want to make it clear. I don’t want to charge anyone based on personal reasons. I just want everyone involved in this to be charged and if Gen. Verzosa is found to be involved then he should be charged,” Robredo said.
In response, Verzosa said he welcomes any investigation on the purchases. Verzosa, who is in Pangasinan, allowed his lawyer Benjamin Delos Santos to speak on his behalf: “Systems and procedures are in place in the PNP bidding processes. Complete staff action is undertaken before it reaches me for approval and I have no knowledge or information of any irregularities or violation of the procurement law.”
Delos Santos said the Bid and Awards Committee, the Acceptance and Inspection Committee, and the Technical Working Group have already gone through the process before it reached the chief PNP for approval.
“With presumption of regularity of functions, chief PNP is not expected to go through details as head of bureau, unless it is shown that he has prior knowledge of wrongdoing of his subordinate,” the lawyer said.
Too high-powered, too heavy, too costly
The 60-horsepower engines are too high-powered and too heavy for the boats, which would break down in the long run if fitted on the boats, said Superintendent Glenn Provido, in charge to floating assets of the Maritime Group.
“The outboard motors that were purchased did not match the specifications outlined by the Napolcom (National Police Commission)...and if these engines were attached to the boats, they would be damaged, thereby defeating their intended purpose,” Robredo said.
The purchase, which was revealed by disgruntled junior police officers, was also not bidded out, he added.
“I am really bothered with these rubber boats because these were not bidded out due to Ondoy. These were negotiated purchases but until now these cannot be used,” he said.
Add to that, the engines were grossly overpriced. The engines were bought for P500,000 but the original price for the 40-HP engine was only P248,000 while the original price for the 60-HP engine was only P350,000, Robredo said.
Patrol boats and helicopters too
Aside from these rubber boats, the PNP also bought problematic patrol boats that cost the government P90 million intended for the use of the PNP Maritime Group.
However, like the rubber boats, the use of these patrol boats was also stalled due to several problems with its specifications.
Robredo said that all these anomalies were discovered as a result of a PNP probe following an expose of Senator Panfilo Lacson that two Robinson R44 Raven I helicopters were purchased in September 2009 and made to appear as brand new.
