CATHERINE S. VALENTE
Malacañang on Sunday backed Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas 2nd plan to conduct lifestyle checks on officials and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Roxas made the proposal after some police officers were involved recently in criminal activities.
Among these cases were the murder for a fee by a policeman of car racing champion Enzo Pastor, the kidnap and robbery extortion of two traders in broad daylight along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) by members of the La Loma Police Station (Quezon City) and the kidnapping of a Chinese businessman by two Malolos (Bulacan) policemen last week.
Roxas said conducting lifestyle checks can be a preventive measure and a concrete action to rid the PNP of crooks.
Palace deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said the public could expect Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Santos-Henares to act quickly on the proposal.
“Commissioner Henares works really fast. What [she] always says is that if there is something initiated, these are always confidential. Meaning, we will know of the results once they have filed the proper cases,” Valte said in an interview aired over dzRB radio station on Sunday.
Sen. Nancy Binay earlier called on Henares to look into the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of PNP chief Alan Purisima.
The call came amid reports that Purisima acquired prime pieces of property in the towns of Zaragoza and San Leonardo in Nueva Ecija and owns condominium units at the Bellagio Residences in Taguig City (Metro Manila) as well as Gramercy, Ayala One and Serendra in Makati City (Metro Manila).
Senator Grace Poe also earlier urged police officials to make their SALN available to the public as she renewed her call for passage of the Freedom of Information (FO1) bill.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said the people have the right to have access on the SALN of police officials to ensure transparency.
She made the remarks after Purisima purportedly refused to make public his SALN despite repeated requests from civil society groups Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Coalition of Filipino Consumers.
VACC Founding Chairman Dante Jimenez said Purisima must obey the provision of the Constitution mandating government officials to make their SALN public.
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