Moscow trip illegal - PNP

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa submitted a report yesterday to the House panel investigating the so-called “euro generals” scandal that showed that the six police officials who attended the International Police (Interpol) conference in Russia last month had illegally made the trip.

The report made by a PNP fact-finding committee said Deputy Directors General Emmanuel Carta and Ismael Rafanan, and Directors Eliseo de la Paz, Romeo Ricardo, Silverio Doria, and Jaime Caringal violated Section 16 of Republic Act 9498, or the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2008, by joining the Moscow delegation.

The six police officials “were not qualified to be supported with government funds for their attendance in the Interpol general assembly because they are due for compulsory retirement within one year from the date of the activity,” the committee said in its report to Verzosa.

The other member of the PNP delegation was Superintendent Elmer Pelobello, the aide of the police officials. De la Paz, former PNP comptroller, and Caringal have already retired.

De la Paz and his wife Maria Fe were held at Moscow airport last Oct. 11 for carrying undeclared cash amounting to 105,000 euros or P6.9 million after they attended the 77th Interpol General Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia.

De la Paz, who claimed responsibility for violating requirements in withdrawing the money from the PNP intelligence fund, and the other so-called “euro generals” are now being investigated by the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Ombudsman.

Verzosa submitted a copy of his fact-finding panel’s report to the House committee on public order and safety yesterday. Chief Superintendent Raul Bacalzo of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management headed the panel.

The PNP chief has sent a separate copy to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Bacalzo panel recommended that the six reimburse the government the entire amount they drew as cash advances from the PNP for their trip.

The eight members of the PNP delegation to Moscow were each given a cash advance of P274,070. Verzosa has ordered the return of the money, saying the nine would be entitled to whatever amount of reimbursement auditors would allow.

The Interpol delegation was a composite group composed of PNP, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration and Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) representatives.

Undersecretary Rolando Garcia, PCTC executive director, was the head of the delegation. Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan and NBI Director Nestor Mantaring were listed as members.

The other members of the PNP group were Director Silverio Alarcio Jr., and Mrs. Cynthia Verzosa, wife of the PNP chief who did not attend the Interpol conference.

Aside from Mrs. Verzosa and Mrs. De la Paz, the other wives who accompanied the delegation were Anita Carta, Evita Caringal and Rosa Alarcio.

The Bacalzo committee said part of the responsibility for the illegal travel of Carta and the five other senior PNP officers rests with former PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr. and the National Police Commission (Napolcom).

Its report said “despite the GAA provision, the recommendation of the PNP to the Napolcom that they should be allowed to attend and participate in the Interpol general assembly was still processed and given due course by the then PNP chief Razon and merited the approval of the Napolcom.”

In fact, it said the Napolcom “issued the appropriate foreign travel authority that became the basis of the PNP to issue travel orders for the said police officers,” the report stated.

The fact-finding panel also recommended that De la Paz, Chief Superintendent Orlando Pestano, Senior Supt. Tomas Rentoy III and Supt. Samuel Rodriguez, who are finance and budget officers of the Directorate for Intelligence, should be further investigated “for unauthorized release of P7 million from the PNP intelligence fund” to De la Paz.

De la Paz has tried to shield the three from accountability for the money, saying he alone should be held responsible.

He said he “borrowed” the P7 million from the three officers of the intelligence division because his office had no money for the travel expenses of his group.

It was intended for “contingency or emergency purposes,” he said. It was this money that De la Paz converted into 105,000 euros, which Moscow airport authorities confiscated from him and his wife because they did not declare it when they planed in.

Dela Paz said he intended to return the money even if it would mean using his retirement benefits and borrowed funds.

Ex-PNP chief authorized only P2.3 million for Interpol meet

Deputy Director Avelino Razon Jr. of the National Security Council clarified that he authorized then police comptroller Eliseo de la Paz to release only P2.3 million for the trip to the International Police (Interpol) conference in Russia and denied approving the withdrawal of P6.9 million from the police intelligence fund.

Razon, then the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said he had retired from the police service when the money was released to De la Paz. Razon retired last Sept. 27 after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

He admitted that he approved the travel authority for the eight PNP delegates to the Interpol General Assembly with P2.3-million travel allowance on Aug. 27, a month before his retirement.

Razon said that after the approval of the travel authority and allowance for the Interpol meet, he retired on Sept. 27 and has no knowledge of the additional money.

It was gathered that Senior Superintendent Samuel Rodriguez, Disbursing Officer of the Finance Service Office, brought P7 million to Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy, chief of the Budget Division of the Directorate for Comptrollership, last Oct. 3. Rentoy later gave the total amount of P6.93 million to De la Paz.

Razon explained that the travel authority for the Russia trip was also approved by his successor PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa.

He said that he is ready to face the inquiry being conducted by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the controversial euro generals.

During his stint as PNP chief, Razon said he attended four Interpol conferences that were held in Morocco, Lyons in France, and Hong Kong.

Razon said that his wife joined him on only two of the Interpol meetings, since the attendance of the wives of police officials is optional.

Meanwhile, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) has started conducting the lifestyle check on all top PNP officials, including the euro generals.

“It (lifestyle check) already started. There will be lifestyle check on all generals including those euro generals,” said Napolcom Commissioner Luis Mario General, who attended the two-day International Defensive Pistol Association Seminar at Camp Diego Silang in San Fernando, La Union.

General said the Napolcom would evaluate the results of the lifestyle check and file the necessary charges against officials who violate the anti-graft law.

General said the PNP had submitted to the Napolcom their findings on the controversy and they are still evaluating it to find out those responsible in the fund mess. - With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jun Elias