Press Release
November 15, 2008

ROXAS: 'NAKAKAHIYA ANG KAPULISAN' LAWS CLEARLY VIOLATED IN RELEASE OF P6.9M

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today expressed disgust over blatant violations of existing laws and executive directives of high-ranking police officials linked to the "Euro Generals" fund mess.

"Nakakahiya ang ating kapulisan. Tahasan ang pagsuway nila sa mga batas na ginawa ng Kongreso.. Hindi na sila naawa sa ating mga kababayan, pati ang perang dapat sana ay gagamitin para sa pagbili lamang ng mga intelligence equipment ay pinagplanuhan pa nilang lustayin sa Russia (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.

Dela Paz and other ranking police officials, including PNP chief Dir. Gen. Jesus Versoza, appeared before senators on Saturday to testify on the source of the 105,000 euros confiscated by Russian authorities from Dela Paz and his wife prior their departure after attending an Interpol meeting in Moscow.

The Ilonggo senator said the release of the 105,000 euros from the PNP's intelligence and confidential funds was tainted with irregularity and disregard of the law, especially after Supt. Samuel Rodriguez testified that he had warned his superior, Finance Service director Chief Supt. Orlando Pestaño, that such a release violated the presidential directive governing the disbursement and expenditure of intelligence and confidential funds.

"Mahirap tanggapin ang sinasabi mo. Sinasabi mong hindi mangyayari itong iskandalong ito dahil sumusunod kayo sa reglamento.. Pero mula kaninang umaga pa, lahat ng direktiba magmula sa BSP, administrative order, executive order, PNP, Napolcom, lahat ay nilabag po ninyo eh (It's hard to accept your statement. You said this scandal shouldn't have happened because you followed the regulations. But since this morning, we've found out that you've violated all directives from the BSP, administrative orders, executive orders, PNP and Napolcom regulations)," he rebuked Dela Paz when the latter insisted there was nothing irregular with the release of the P6.9 million (105,000 euros) from the intelligence fund to him.

"Pati junior officers na nagpaalala sa inyo na mali ito, hindi ninyo pinansin. Ang sabi pa ninyo, 'Ako na ang bahala'. Mahirap tanggapin ang sinasabi mo. Hindi talaga katanggap-tanggap ang sinasabi ninyo ngayon na biglaan ay susunod na kayo sa reglamento sa kabila ng sunod-sunod ninyong paglabag sa batas (You even ignored the warning of your junior officers that this is wrong. You even said 'I'll take care of it.' It's hard to accept what you're saying that you're now going to follow the regulations after repeatedly violating the law)," he stressed.

The Ilonggo senator manifested that the release of the money to Dela Paz would have been done without a glitch had the fund not been discovered and confiscated by Russian authorities.

He noted that since the money was taken from the intelligence fund, which was not subject to public audit but through a mere submission of a sealed envelope to the Commission on Audit, "maaring hindi na nalaman ng publiko ang paglabas ng perang ito. At maaari ding hindi na naliquidate itong pera na ito kasi hindi naman nabuko (The public wouldn't have known the release of this fund, and this would not have been liquidated)."

"Nakalusot na sana ito kung hindi lang nabuko. Hindi sana malalaman na ganito pala kaluwang ang sistema ng PNP, pati sa mga magre-retire na, kundi natiklo, kung hindi natuklasan na merong ganito kalaking halaga na bitbit ninyo at dinala sa Russia (You would have gotten away with this had it not been discovered. We wouldn't have known how loose PNP's system is, even on retiring officers, if we didn't discover that you brought this large sum of money into Russia)" Roxas said in interpellating Dela Paz.

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