Thursday, November 15, 2007 Local gov’t chief denies access to police funds
LOCAL Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said he has no role in the financial administration of the funds of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Puno issued the statement in describing as "baseless" the new allegation by opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson that funds intended for the PNP's counter-insurgency campaign had supposedly been used by Malacañang to give cash to congressmen and governors last October 11.
The DILG chief also said he was "saddened" by Lacson's unfounded allegations considering that the lawmaker, who was a former PNP chief himself, has been championing the causes of the police organization and has been highly supportive of programs that aim to further professionalize the PNP.
"I am sure that Senator Lacson, being a former PNP chief himself, knows that the DILG has no direct access to the funds of the PNP," Puno said. "The DILG secretary has no role over the financial administration of the PNP funds, except on a purely ministerial aspect, which is the submission of its funding requests to the Department of Budget and Management," he added.
Puno pointed out that since the time Lacson stepped down as PNP chief in 2001, there had been no changes in the laws and regulations governing the national police.
Lamenting Lacson's attempt to unfairly link the national police to a highly political issue, Puno appealed to the legislator to "spare the PNP from baseless accusations."
"The good senator should remember that he is now attacking the integrity of an organization, the image of which he has worked so hard to improve in the past," Puno noted. "If he has anything against me, then he should focus his attacks on my person, instead of unfairly dragging the PNP in this issue," he said.
Puno said the senator should prove his case by allowing his informant, if he has indeed any, to substantiate his allegations against the PNP before the proper forum and point to the officers supposedly involved in this controversy.
"He should not take hook, line and sinker the fairy tales being peddled to him by his informant and should believe instead his fellow officers in the PNP," Puno said.
Earlier, PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. challenged Lacson to substantiate his claims and stressed that "our funds intended to support the PNP are released, appropriated and spent for the purposes they were intended for."
Retired Police Director Noe Wong, who headed the PNP's Directorate for Comptrollership from August 14, 2006 to August 11, 2007, said police funds, especially those earmarked for counter-insurgency, were all accounted for. (Press release)
