6 policemen in Al-Ghozi escape pass lifestyle check

Six police officers who were relieved from their posts in connection with the July 14 escape of Indonesian terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi and two Abu Sayyaf members have passed the lifestyle check conducted by police officers and personnel.

Superintendent Carlito Natanauan, headquarters commandant of the Intelligence Group; Superintendent Reuben Galban, former chief of the Foreign Liaison Office; Superintendent Guillermo Danipog, former chief of IG-Legal Affairs Division; Inspector James Dime, duty officer; SPO1 Ruperto Principe and duty police officer PO1 Ronald Palmares were found to be living within their means.

"They all passed the lifestyle checks conducted by my unit. However, this does not clear them of criminal and administrative charges," Directorate for Personnel Records Management (DPRM) chief Director Jose Lalisan told The STAR in a telephone interview.

"They have to air their defense in court," he added.

All six police officers have been placed under "restrictive custody" of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Intelligence Group since the escape of Al-Ghozi, Omar Opik Lasal and Abdulmukim Edris, except for Palmares, who has sought to be under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Lalisan said the fact-finding commission led by former justice secretary Sedfrey Ordoñez will have the last say on the culpability of the six police officers.

So far, authorities have only accounted for Edris who was killed by soldiers at a road checkpoint in Lanao del Norte on Aug. 7 after he supposedly tried to grab a soldier’s weapon.

Meanwhile, investigating teams are now gathering the statements of assets and liabilities of the PNP’s 113,000 officers and men.

"This will be a continuous process. Our focus will be those with obvious unexplained wealth. They will then be summoned and will be made to explain," Lalisan said.

At the NBI, officials welcomed the lifestyle check being conducted on the agency by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC).

Lawyer Ricardo Diaz, chief of the NBI-International Police, said that after the lifestyle check, the public would know how poor the NBI people are.

Diaz, who has been with the NBI for about 15 years, receives only about P25,000 to P30,000 a month, including some allowances, which is far lower compared to the income of lawyers in private practice.

Diaz said private lawyers collect about P1,500 for every court appearance apart from their acceptance fee of about P50,000 for every case.

In a related development, the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) laughed off the offer of President Arroyo and other members of the First family to subject themselves to a lifestyle check.

The KMU said it was merely a ploy on her part to cover up anomalies involving her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, who was accused of laundering more than P100 million through dummy bank accounts.

"Even if she undergoes lifestyle check, their image as a corrupt couple would not be erased," KMU secretary general Joel Maglunsod said in a statement.

"This is not the first time that Mr. Arroyo was accused of involvement in money laundering. It’s just the culmination of the anomalies such as Piatco, coco levy, President Diosdado Macapagal Highway," Maglunsod added. — With Mike Frialde, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mayen Jaymalin