The country’s opposition party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) criticized the return to regular duty of former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima after serving his six-month preventive suspension. According to UNA’s official statement released on Friday, the news of the PNP Chief’s return to active duty highlights the special treatment being given by the Aquino administration.
PNP Chief Alan Purisima was earlier suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman through Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales over an alleged anomalous PNP delivery service contract in 2011 with Werfast Documentary Agency, a private company. The PNP chiefe and other police officials involved in the deal were suspended from PNP service for six months.
In recent reports, PNP OIC Leonardo Espina revealed that the former PNP Chief’s suspension will end on June 9 and he can return to police force on June 10, 2015. The PNP Official also noted that the suspended Purisima remains a four-star general even though he resigned as PNP chief last February 2015.
Here’s the statement of the UNA Officials:
“Nakakabahala…General Purisima’s return to the police force once again highlights the special treatment administration allies are receiving and the selective prosecution political rivals are getting on the one hand,” the group said.
“No member of the KKK clique has ever been made accountable. Bothersome indeed,” it added, referring to the alleged “kakampi, kaklase and kabarilan” (party mates, classmates and shooting buddies) clique being linked to President Aquino.
The opposition party also noted that the return of PNP Chief Alan Purisima to active service negates the promise of swift justice to the families of the slain 44 SAF commandos who died during the botched Mamasapano operation in Maguindanao.