PNP on the firing line

The more the Delfin Lee case unfolds, the more mysterious it becomes. The more we listen to the parties involved in the Lee arrest, the more questions are raised.

The biggest mystery is, of course, the identity of the so called “influential person” who has been accused of trying to prevent the arrest of this alleged multibillion peso swindler. During the last few days, several events, in quick succession, have triggered this deep suspicion that we have not heard the whole story of how one of the Five Most Wanted Men in the country almost avoided arrest and detention.

The first was the location of the arrest. How did it happen that one of the Five Most Wanted Men in the country was walking around in Hyatt Hotel and Casino reportedly waiting for a girlfriend? Isn’t a fugitive from justice supposed to be in deep hiding in some foreign country or a safehouse?

Then came the press conference of PNP Chief Alan Purisima. The first statement was that when Lee was “delisted” from the list of wanted men, it simply meant that the reward for Lee was being removed. But when it was pointed out that the communication explicitly stated that Lee had been removed from the arrest warrant database, the story began to change.

Then when it was pointed out that a communication mentioned that there was an enjoinment from issuing an arrest warrant for one of the Five Most Wanted Men, the story seemed to radically change. It seemed that perhaps whoever was in charged was either misinformed, or misunderstood the whole case. It seemed that perhaps there was a belief on the part of some officers in the PNP that the arrest warrant for Delfin Lee had either been lifted or was dismissed by some court.

At the conclusion of the press conference of PNP Chief Alan Purisima, the kindest term I could use was “confusion.” I was confused, and he seemed confused as well. And several members of the press who attended the conference also said they were confused.

The third event was a story released by Daniel Subido, deputy secretary general of the Housing and Urban Development Council (HUdcc). He claims that he rushed to Camp Crame upon news of the arrest. He found out that police officials were considering the release of Delfin Lee. Subido’s report did not mince words when he said:

“The circumstances that transpired immediately after the arrest of Mr. Lee coupled by the certification, memo and letters showing the delisting of Mr. Lee from the database of outstanding arrest warrants and ordering to enjoin the implementation of the arrest warrant against him previously issued by the PNP only show that influential people indeed pressured the PNP to favor Mr. Lee.”

Then finally we have the public clash, through media, between the PNP Chief and the hero of the whole episode – Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa, head of Task Force Tugis which arrested Delfin Lee. Within days after the arrest, Purisima relieved Capa of his position as head of Task Force Tugis.

Some reports said Capa was being promoted. This is another misinterpretation. The reassignment to Cebu was not a promotion but was at best a pathway to being promoted. In the words of Purisima, “...this is a step closer to becoming Chief Superintendent.” I noticed that there was no guarantee of a promotion.

 Capa reacted negatively. But the surprising turn of event was that he had the moral courage to state his convictions publicly. He denied that it was a promotion, and that his reassignment to Cebu was in fact an exile. He said that he was already promotable without being exiled.

He raised a valid point which I am also asking. Why is the person responsible for the arrest of one of the Five Most Wanted Persons in the country being exiled and punished? Why is he not being rewarded or even being promoted on the spot?

And all these events lead to the conclusion that has been raised – that influential people were trying to prevent the detention and trial of Delfin Lee. Just like most of the public, I have no inside information. But if we put on the hat and smoke the pipe of that legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, maybe we can arrive at a few clues.

The first step is to find out who will benefit from Lee’s release or, asked another way, who will have the most to lose if Delfin Lee is brought to a Senate hearing or to trial and decides to talk under the Witness Protection Program.

One possibility — among several — will, of course be the top government and Housing officials in the past administration. I have read that several housing officials were already removed due to this scandal. But none of those removed were in the highest echelon of the Housing agencies because they were not allegedly part of the scam.

I suppose it is possible to believe that the whole PDAF scam could have been done without the involvement of the heads of the government agencies involved and the active participation of the lawmakers.

There is one big difference between the Napoles and the Lee arrests. Nobody tried to prevent the arrest of Janet Lim Napoles unlike in the case of Delfin Lee.

Does this episode mean that whoever arrests the other Four Most Wanted Persons – Palparan, the Palawan governor Reyes and his brother, and cult leader Ecleo – will also be rewarded by being transferred to the Ayungin Shoals?

The cast of characters and the ending for this case is still incomplete. In the meantime, and rightfully so, the PNP and Alan Purisima will continue to be on the firing line.

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