Setting a good example

CHEERS TO ABS-CBN 2’s Failon Ngayon for exploring the issue of “hulidap” (arrest hold-up) which led in turn to the investigation on the allegedly unexplained wealth of the Police chief. (September 20)

“Hulidap”, a combination of the Filipino words “huli” (arrest) and “holdap” (holdup), refers to cases when law enforcers extort money from civilians through robbery, kidnapping, etc.

Failon Ngayon provided a comprehensive follow up report on the statements of some government officials who asked for “lifestyle checks” on the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The program, to check if the PNP leadership is setting a good example, probed the assets of PNP Chief Director General Alan Purisima after discovering the lavish lifestyles of several police officers particularly those linked to the latest “hulidap” scandal.

The report included an interview with the Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC), which criticized Purisima for his “controversial” properties. The group questioned the construction of the “P 25 million-worth White House” of the Chief PNP inside Camp Crame. The group also showed documents to prove that Purisima also owns other property than those he has declared.

The Failon Ngayon team went to Nueva Ecija to investigate a “rest house” allegedly owned by Purisima. The program interviewed people in the area who said the property was owned by the Purisimas. The joint statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of Purisima and his wife Ma. Ramona Lydia declared the property costs P 3.7 million. But the municipal office of San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija wrote to Failon Ngayon saying the Purisimas have no properties there. The team also shared their difficulty in getting a copy of Purisima’s SALN, a public document.

Aside from this, the report included other alleged Purisima properties including a ventilated poultry tent and a crusher in Cabanatuan City.

The poultry tent was declared under the name of the chief PNP’s son with a P 2 million-market value. The news program said that the real property alone measures four hectares exclusive of the multimillion peso poultry houses.

The program also noted that Purisima’s monthly salary is around P 67,500.00 while his wife’s is around P 49,750.00.

The report included interviews with experts, advocacy groups, and government officials. It also led to further inquiries by, and stories in, the media.