Sacking of PNP officers affirmed

THE Office of the Ombudsman affirmed the dismissal of 14 officers of the Philippine National Police ( PNP) who were indicted in the P34-million chopper scam.

In a 49-page order, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales denied, for lack of merit, the motions of the police officers, which effectively made the dismissal and suspension final.

Dismissed from service were police directors Leocadio Salva Cruz Santiago Jr. and George Piano; police supts. Ermilando Villafuerte and Roman Loreto; police chief supts. Herold Ubalde and Luis Saligumba; police senior supts. Job Nolan Antonio, Edgar Paatan, Mansue Lukban and Claudio Gaspar Jr.; police chief insp. Ma. Josefina Recometa; SPO3 Ma. Linda Padojinog; PO3 Avensuel Dy; and non-uniformed personnel (NUP) Ruben Gongona.

Morales also denied the motions of P/Senior Supt. Joel Crisostomo Garcia, SPO3 Jorge Gabiana, PO3 Dionisio Jimenez and NUPs Erwin Chavarria, Emilia Aliling and Erwin Paul Maranan, who were meted with six- month suspension from service without pay.

According to the Ombudsman, there is no “new evidence, which will materially affect the [previous] resolution in question.”

The respondents also failed to show any errors on the judgment of the Ombudsman when it ordered their dismissal and suspension.

The PNP officers were indicted for being part of the procurement process of the choppers, “which makes it impossible for private supplier Hilario de Vera of Manila Aerospace Trading Corp. [Maptra] to be able to deceive them without their cooperation.”

The case stemmed from the PNP’s purchase between 2009 and 2010 from Maptra of one fully equipped Robinson R44 Raven 2 helicopter worth P42.31 million and two standard Robinson R44 Raven 1 helicopters, which amounted to P104.99 million.