SAF troopers accuse former chief of plunder of P59-M allowance

MANILA, Philippines — At least 12 members of the Philippine National Police's elite Special Action Force, have filed a plunder and malversation complaint against their former chief for allegedly failing to release their Daily Additional Subsistence Allowance (ASA) for 2016 and 2017 amounting to P58.849 million.

In an eight-page joint complaint filed on April 12, former and active members of the PNP-SAF have urged the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Police Director Benjamin Lusad for criminal offenses of plunder and malversation of public funds and for the administrative offense of grave misconduct.

Lusad is now with the PNP Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Southern Luzon (DIPO-SL).

Named as Lusad's co-accused in the complaint were former PNP-SAF budget and fiscal officer Andre Dizon, who now serves as DIPO-SL Administrative and Resource Management Division chief; and Senior Police Officer 2 Maila Bustamante and Senior Police Officer 1 Jack James Irica with PNP-SAF Finance.

The complainants said that during Lusad's stint as SAF director from July 2016 to January 2018, the elite unit's uniformed personnel were only given their ASA for the months of January 2016 and January to July 2017.

Under the law, SAF members are each entitled to an additional daily subsistence allowance of P30 per day or P900 a month in consideration of the dangerous nature of their operations.

The complainants said the Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs) and Notices of Fund Allocation (NFAs) they obtained from the PNP-SAF management show that there was a total of P58,849,590 million funds intended for the ASA of around 4,000 SAF personnel for the months of February to December 2016 and August to December 2017.

The complainants said this amount remains unreleased to the SAF personnel and was used for other purposes.

The complainants said they had meetings with Lusad and Dizon on March 27, 2018 and on April 6, 2018 to discuss the issue, but in both instances, the two former SAF officials merely apologized to them and reasoned that the questioned fund was already used for “operational expenses, fellowships and trainings”.

"However, they did not show any proof as to the said operational expenses, fellowships and trainings, and the liquidation of the amount of money for ASA which they received," the complaint read.

"They did not offer any solution on how they will give or pay the ASA of the complainants and the other uniformed personnel of the PNP-SAF," it added.

The complainants said that with his continued failure to release the P58.849-million ASA of the SAF personnel, Lusad, in conspiracy with Dizon, Bustamante and Irica is assumed to have “amassed the said amount and appropriated it for himself”.

The complaint was signed by retired Director Virgilio Lazo, Superintendents Larry Corales, Victor Lacwasan, Oliver Ebora, Garry Alegre, snd Victor Sobrepeña, Senior Inspector Gerardo Paler, Inspector Richard Agrade, SPO3 Gamar Jajalis, PO2 Nichol Jamosmos, PO3 Joseph Emmanuel Cruz and PO2 Bryan Cercado.