MANILA -- Retired police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz on Saturday took sole responsibility for the fiasco that led to Russian officials confiscating 105,000 euros from him.

But Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairperson of the Senate committee on foreign relations, was skeptical.

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"Do you agree that your superior officials, such as Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jesus Verzosa and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, should be absolved and instead all blame be pinned on you?" Santiago said in Saturday's Senate hearing on the controversy.

Dela Paz said, "The release of the P10 million for the contingency fund is based on my instructions."

Santiago said in owning up to the controversy, the police official was heroic. She, however, warned him that he faced a 20-year jail term for the offense.

Santiago said dela Paz is being made a scapegoat in the incident but is really just a part of a bigger conspiracy.

In other developments:

* Senator Mar Roxas, meanwhile, expressed disgust over what he said were blatant violations of existing laws and executive directives of high-ranking police officials linked to the fund mess.

"Shame on our police force. They blatantly disobeyed the laws Congress crafted. They disregarded the people's welfare, they planned to squander in Russia the funds that are to be used for the purchase of intelligence equipment," he said during Saturday's joint committee hearing into the scandal.

* Senate Majority Leader Kiko Pangilinan condemned the testimonies given before the Senate, saying: "the inconsistencies are glaring and they have dug their own graves with their admissions."

Pangilinan called on appropriate agencies to immediately file charges against the officials.

* Tyrone Arejola, the man who claimed to have given dela Paz 45,000 euros to buy an expensive watch, won a contract at the PNP worth about P100 million, a television report said.

Dela Paz faced the senators on Saturday for the second hearing on the controversy. The probe started shortly after 10 a.m. with the presentation of the summary on the Senate committee report and that of the PNP.

Dela Paz and his wife were held briefly at the Moscow International Airport last month after Russian customs officials found 105,000 euros or P6.9 million from them. The amount exceeded the allowable cash limit for outbound passengers.

The Senate earlier ordered de la Paz's arrest after failing to attend the first hearing on the incident.

On Friday afternoon, dela Paz surrendered to the Senate. For this, Santiago said he will be allowed to go home after Saturday's hearing.

"Since you voluntarily surrendered at the Senate sergeant-at-arms yesterday (Friday), we consider that your word is bond. There is no necessity to remain in detention," she said.

Santiago, however, clarified that dela Paz will remain under the Senate custody, adding that he is expected to appear in the Senate probe when needed.

The senator also granted the motion of dela Paz for his wife's non-appearance for humanitarian reasons.

Senior Superintendent Samuel Rodriguez, disbursing officer for Directorate for Intelligence, who was also present during Saturday's probe, told senators that he found dela Paz's request for funds "unusual."

Rodriguez said Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy directed him to reserve P10 million for the PNP delegation to the Interpol summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Rentoy is the chief of the Directorate for Comptrollership's budget division. He also attended the hearing.

Before complying, Rodriguez said he informed his superior, PNP Finance Services Chief Orlando Pestaño, about Rentoy's request for the amount to be sourced from the intelligence fund via a letter.

Rodriguez added that he sent the same letter to dela Paz.

He denied having known that the police official intended to bring undeclared 105,000 euros at the Moscow airport.

Dela Paz, while being grilled by Senator Loren Legarda, invoked his right against self-incrimination.

Legarda said she was not comfortable with the answers of the retired police comptroller.

She particularly mentioned dela Paz's failure to explain why he did not declare the cash he was carrying before departing the country.

Dela Paz earlier said he was not aware of any regulation on the declaration of cash before departure.

But when asked by Legarda the second time, dela Paz corrected himself.

Dela Paz said he was aware of a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) circular that mandates the declaration of cash $10,000 and above upon leaving the Philippines. He then invoked his right against self-incrimination.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said it is not involving itself in the ongoing Senate investigation.

Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez Jr. said dela Paz is "his own man" at this time.

"General dela Paz is his own man right now. It seems there are so many allegations against him, he is bound to face all those allegations," Golez said over government-run dzRB radio. (Sunnex/With JMR)

(November 16, 2008 issue)
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