‘Charge Purisima’s White House donors, too’

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima’s friends who supposedly donated for the construction of his residence in the general police headquarters must not be spared from state investigations and charges, an anti-corruption group told the Ombudsman.

In a supplemental complaint filed Wednesday, October 8, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said a certain Carlos Gonzales of Ulitican Builders, lawyer Alexander Lopez of Pacific Concrete Corporation, and Christopher Pastrana of CAPP Industries must be charged for corruption of public officials.

They allegedly “donated” or “gifted” Purisima with the construction of the controversial “White House,” the PNP chief’s place of residence inside Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Purisima is accused before the Ombudsman of indirect bribery, graft, and plunder over the anomalous “White House” and allegedly misdeclared assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

The VACC, which filed the second set of charges against Purisima, said he owned properties that are “unconscionably disproportionate to his salary and income from business.” (READ: PNP chief faces more complaints over assets)

VACC is a non-stock, non-profit organization, which claims to be a watchdog against crime and corruption in the country.

Former PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac previously said that the White House’s renovation amounted to P12 million (about $270,000) and was funded with the help of Purisima’s Mason friends.

Ombudsman asked anew to suspend PNP chief Alan Purisma while being probed for allegedly misdeclared assets #Rappler pic.twitter.com/IMPLiw1OvU

— Buena Bernal (@buenabernal) October 8, 2014

Other properties

VACC also said Purisima’s 21-year-old son Rainier Von must be investigated for the ownership of a Nueva Ecija poultry farm, which the group estimated to be worth more than P90 million (over $2 million)*.

The young adult “has no means to acquire these properties,” VACC alleged.

They said he was being used by his father as a “dummy” to hide the latter’s “unexplained wealth.”

Among the properties which were not cited in the VACC’s initial complaint but now questioned in the supplemental complaint include an allegedly discounted Toyota Land Cruiser.

The car was declared to be at P1.5 million ($33,493)*, which VACC said was discounted by 70%. The complainants said it was tantamount to indirect bribery.

The group also cited a 200-hectare Nueva Ecija land that was allegedly not declared in Purisima’s SALN. – Rappler.com

*$1 = P44.78