PNP – Maniolas

Graft pre-trial of ex-PNP chief Alan Purisima reset to June

Apr 222017

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima

MANILA, Apr 18 (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan has reset the graft pre-trial of former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima in connection with the alleged anomalous courier service deal that the PNP entered into in 2011.

The pre-trial, scheduled on Tuesday, was moved to June 6 to allow both the prosecution and defense panels to complete the preliminary conference for the case.

The preliminary conference is set on May 9.

The prosecution said they will also submit a supplemental pre-trial brief for the case.

Purisima was charged with graft for a supposedly anomalous contract that the PNP entered into in 2011 with the courier service company Werfast Documentary Agency, Inc. for the delivery of firearms licenses of applicants.

Based on the Information of the case, the contract was awarded to Werfast without public bidding and despite the company’s supposed lack of track record and qualifications as a courier service firm.

The Ombudsman said Werfast was not yet registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission when the contract was signed in May 2011.

It also said that the company was not authorized by the Department of Transportation and Communications to offer courier delivery service.

Purisima has pleaded not guilty to the charge. (MNS)

Aquino leads PNP command conference on Holy Week preps

Entertainment

Apr 162014

Aquino leads PNP command conference on Holy Week preps

Filipinos raise palm fronds to receive a blessing from Italian priest Romulo Bertoni (2nd from left) to mark Palm Sunday at a shopping mall parking area in Las Pinas City, south of Manila, the Philippines, 13 April 2014. Palm Sunday for Roman Catholic devotees symbolically marks the biblical account of the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, signaling the start of the Holy Week. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) — President Benigno Aquino III on Monday went to Cramp Crame in Quezon City to check the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) security preparations for the Holy Week. At a press conference, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino led a command conference at Camp Crame to “ensure that the Holy Week holidays are orderly and peaceful.” She said the PNP presented its preparations for Holy Week, the World Economic Forum in May, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2015. “I am told… that the President did make a couple of questions – did pose a couple of questions to the presenters and… those questions were all ably answered,” Valte said without elaborating. Valte said the President will also spend the week monitoring the preparations and actions of concerned government agencies in light of the coming holidays. She reminded the public about the emergency hotlines, a Summary of the Rights of Air Passengers, and an advisory on heat stroke available on the Official Gazette. “These will be helpful to our countrymen who are going out of town for the weekend,” Valte said. Read More …

PNP remains focus, steadfast in accomplishing mission

Entertainment

Mar 152014

PNP remains focus, steadfast in accomplishing mission

Police Deputy Director General Ager P Ontog Jr, Deputy Chief PNP for Operation/ Commander National Task Force SAFE 2013 gives out guidance regarding the deployment of PNP personnel in the field especially in areas vulnerable to attacks of lawless elements in response to the call for Secure and Fair Election (SAFE 2013). MANILA (Mabuhay) – Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima on Thursday assured that the 145,000-strong organization remained focus and steadfast in accomplishing its mission amid controversies hounding the organization. At a press conference, Purisima said the PNP will not be dissuade by controversies that sometime overshadowed the accomplishment of the organization. In fact, the chief PNP said that the morale of the PNP remains high. ”In spite of the recent controversies affecting the PNP that has somehow ‘distracted’ public attention from our continuing transformation and reforms, we are undertaking to raise the level of our competencies to better serve the people as operationalized by our intensified campaigns against organized crime, illegal drugs, loose firearms, and wanted persons. Our operating units maintained their strategic focus according to our action priorities and accomplished the mission, nonetheless,” said Purisima. ”At any rate, morale remains high within the ranks because of all these commendable accomplishments and we also stand steadfast and strong for the people we serve and protect,” he added. Purisima cited the controversy now surrounding the arrest of real estate magnate Delfin Lee, whose camp is using his supposed delisting from the PNP’s List of Most Wanted as Read More …

Napoles’ ultrasound bill not P130,000 – PNP

Entertainment

Mar 042014

Napoles’ ultrasound bill not P130,000 – PNP

A doctor checks the condition of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame on Wednesday, February 26. Napoles, alleged mastermind in the P10-B pork barrel scam, has been diagnosed to have ovarian cyst.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Philippine National Police did not spend P130,000 to rent an ultrasound machine for the medical check-up of alleged pork scam architect Janet Lim Napoles. Police chief Supt. Alejandro Advincula, director of the PNP Health Service, confirmed that the national police rented an ultrasound machine for Napoles but said the rent was only P5,000. He said he has receipts to prove that the PNP did not spend P130,000 for Napoles’ ultrasound. He said the OB Gyne Department recommended that the PNP rent the machine. A junior officer at the PNP Health Services earlier told ABS-CBN News that police spent P130,00 to rent the ultrasound machine for Napoles’ transvaginal procedure. The amount is separate from the P120,000 spent just for the security and travel of Napoles to and from FortSto. Domingo in Laguna and CampCrame for her medical examination. The ultrasound machine was allegedly rented from the Health Avenue Clinic near CampCrame. Napoles, a central figure in the pork barrel scam, had asked the court to allow her to undergo medical tests and check-up at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City because these procedures cannot be done at Fort Sto. Domingo. She also asked that the court allow her to undergo hospital arrest if her medical condition merits Read More …

Palace stands by former PNP exec on martial law victims' claims board

News

Feb 232014

Palace stands by former PNP exec on martial law victims' claims board

Malacañang on Sunday thanked former senator Joker Arroyo for his opinion, but said it stands behind the appointment of a former police officer as head of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board. “We respect the views of former Senator Joker Arroyo who [was] an ardent freedom fighter and human rights advocate in the Martial Law period. Nagkakaiba lang po ang pananaw niya sa pananaw ng ating Pangulo sa paghirang kay General Lina Sarmiento,” Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said in an interview aired over state-run dzRB. Arroyo earlier rejected Sarmiento’s appointment, saying she did not meet the minimum standards set by the Human Rights Victims’ Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013. “General Sarmiento, whatever her qualifications in the field of human rights violations might be today, cannot have any track record of involvement in or understanding or knowledge of the human rights situation during the martial law period,” Arroyo wrote in his open letter to Aquino, published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. But Coloma explained that President Aquino has a deep understanding of the nature of the job that Sarmiento has to accomplish, being a survivor of Martial Law abuse himself. “Si Pangulong Aquino ay mayroon pong malalim at malawak na pag-unawa diyan sa usapin ng human rights dahil sa kanyang personal na karanasan at sa naranasan na rin po ng kanyang pamilya sa buong kaganapan ng Martial Law at ito po ay isinaalang-alang din niya sa pagpili ng mga kasapi ng Claims Board,” he said. “Doon po sa batas na Read More …

PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

News

Feb 232014

PNP: Arrest of Sinaloa leader a ‘major blow’ vs. flow of drugs to PHL

The Philippine National Police on Sunday welcomed the arrest of the leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, saying it could delay or even stop the cartels’ expansion to the Philippines. Police Chief Superintendent Theodore Sindac, PNP spokesman, said a vacuum in leadership caused by the arrest of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman could lead to a halt in the flow of illegal drugs that Sinaloa has reportedly been bringing to the country. “This will be a major blow to their operation, and that includes here in the Philippines. We welcome this development,” he said. The PNP’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force confirmed the existence of the Sinaloa drug cartel in the country after P400 million in methamphetamine was seized in a raid in Batangas in December 2013. The raid was followed by the arrests of two people linked to Sinaloa in operations in the southern part of Metro Manila. Sindac said, though, some people may try to keep the Sinaloa drug operation going. Police will be on the lookout for them, but Sindac said authorities are focused on Chinese drug syndicates, which have bigger operations. Guzman was captured in the Mexican resort town of Mazatlan on Saturday by Mexican Navy personnel. — JDS, GMA News

Final part —‘new gun law’ series

Economy

Feb 072014

After parts I and 2 of the IRR (Implementing Rules & Regulations) of RA (Republic Act) 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act or quite simply for us the “new gun law”, our readers should have a fairly good grasp of what provisions from the old have been rendered obsolete and irrelevant, and what new provisions in the law have been enacted to make RA 10591 more comprehensive, more pre-emptive than reactionary and more responsive to the current situation in the country. And the penalties are stiffer to boot. In the past, for instance, the old law required Philippine citizens who would be out of the country for six months or more to go to the police station nearest them and deposit their licensed and registered firearms for safekeeping. With the new law, safekeeping of your firearms is a necessary part of your responsibility as a gun owner. Those with multiple guns are advised to have their own gun vaults, especially (but not limited to) those with 10 or more firearms in their possession. If a minor, for instance, in our household gains access to such loose guns at home and figures in any incident involving these firearms, the parent who owns the gun could be liable for a criminal offense. All it takes is one loose firearm for such accidents, and we have read about countless incidents like this in the newspapers, so even with just one such gun in the household, keep it safe and secure. There Read More …

Aquino urged: Show teeth in implementing child porn law

News

Jan 182014

Aquino urged: Show teeth in implementing child porn law

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 3:31 pm | Saturday, January 18th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—A child welfare party-list group on Saturday urged President Benigno Aquino III to “show teeth” in implementing the Anti-Child Pornography Law in the country. “If President Aquino really wants to end this worst form of abuse against our children and in order to stop the growing cottage industry of child pornography in the country, his administration must show some teeth in strongly implementing the existing child porn law and set an example by convicting culprits and masterminds,” Arlene Brosas, national secretary-general of Akap Bata Sectoral Organization. Akap Bata said the Aquino administration is doing nothing against criminal syndicates behind child pornography operations in the Philippines. The party-list group said that even before the recent report of international task force and agencies has been exposed, online and recorded pornography involving children has been one of the major local concerns that resulted to the passage of the Anti-Child Pornography Law in 2009. Brosas said that compared to other countries, child porn cases in the Philippines will get worse if the government will do nothing significant about the poor justice system and the system of impunity in the country. “Our lacking of an effective system that will protect our own children serves as an open invitation to criminal syndicates and child sex offenders to continue their operations in the country,” Brosas said. Akap Bata also egged on Aquino to resolve poverty as the root cause why children were being dragged to the Read More …

PNP finalizes details of gun amnesty implementation

Entertainment

Jan 162014

PNP finalizes details of gun amnesty implementation

member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) shows the new Glock 17 Generation 4 pistols after a distribution ceremony of the pistols at the police headquarters in Manila July 2, 2013. Philippine President Benigno Aquino attended the ceremony in which 22,603 pistols were distributed to PNP officers as part of the government’s effort to arm each police officer in the country with a handgun in order to strengthen the police force, local media reported. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is just ironing out final details of the gun amnesty which is expected to start within the month as part of implementation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. PNP Director General Alan Purisima said that the PNP leadership is now finalizing details of the gun amnesty for the smooth implementation of the new firearms law. ”We are just ironing out some details so that there will be proper procedures in the gun amnesty,” said Purisima. The PNP chief the gun amnesty will start as soon as the police leadership finalized the procedures. ”There is just a review and then we will implement it. We will publish it,” said Purisima. The final gun amnesty is part of the provisions of RA 10591, which was signed into law last year by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Purisima cited the importance of the new firearms law in combating crimes in the country, which mostly involved guns. He vowed strict implementation by the PNP Read More …

PNP chief to public: Report cops who fire weapons on New Year’s Eve

News

Dec 302013

PNP chief to public: Report cops who fire weapons on New Year’s Eve

The Philippine National Police on Monday reminded the public to report any of its personnel using firearms to ring in 2014. PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima issued the last-minute reminder on his Twitter account as he inspected firecracker stalls in Bulacan province. “I encourage everybody to report to PNP, those who have the tendency to use their firearms in celebrating New Year’s Eve,” he said. “For your reports, you need not give your identity, just the information regarding the would be law breakers during New Year’s celebration,” he added. Earlier, the PNP had the muzzles of police officers’ firearms taped to make sure the guns are not fired indiscriminately during the holidays. The muzzles will be checked again after New Year’s Day to see if the guns had been fired. Also on Monday, Purisima personally checked on police operations against illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in Bulacan. A separate report by radio dzBB’s Glen Juego also said the Bureau of Fire Protection conducted surprise inspections on fireworks stalls in White Plains in Quezon City. In past weeks, the government had been appealing to Filipinos not to welcome the New Year with fireworks, which it said can be harmful and even deadly in some cases. — BM, GMA News

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