Senator Grace Poe said Tuesday former Police chief Alan Purisima and former Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II should be summoned to the Senate probe on the police procurement of P1.8 billion worth of defective Mahindra patrol cars in 2014.
She assured the push for an investigation of the India-made cars purchased by the Philippine National Police and flagged by the Commission on Audit to determine the culpability of the two officials.
“I know that we have already cleansed several deals here but we must not forget that because of these [Senate] hearings, these became the basis for charges like the MRT. It became the basis of the Ombudsman,” Poe said.
She recalled that they were able to make Purisima appear in the Senate hearing because he was among those involved in the MRT mess.
“We need to summon the DILG head [Roxas] because this would not be that big”•the PNP would not approve it if it was not favored by the DILG,” Poe said.
“And then we will see if General Purisima will accept all liability or accountability or he will pinpoint somebody who influenced him to approve the procurement,” Poe said.
A CoA report showed that 57 percent of the 1,278 police respondents in a survey were unsatisfied with the 2,054 Mahindra patrol cars, and whose complaints against the vehicles included high fuel consumption, low engine performance and heavy smoke emission.
CoA noted that Columbian-Mahindra of billionaire Pepito Alvarez, a campaign supporter of Roxas, still won the bidding for the PNP patrol cars despite complaints having been raised four months after the first batch of the vehicles were delivered.
Poe said she had expressed “serious concerns” about the bidding process being rigged in favor of Mahindra as early as 2014.
“These CoA findings validate my concerns to a large extent,” she said.
She recalled she expressed serious concern in 2014 about the way the terms of reference for bidding for the PNP patrol jeeps were crafted. She said they were tailor-fitted for Mahindra.
She said that effectively eliminated all the other more known brands with track records and countrywide presence from competing.
Senator JV Ejercito said the PNP and AFP with their meager resources, should acquire vehicles and equipment that were durable and reliable.
“We cannot afford to waste public funds on vehicles and equipment that are not reliable,” Ejercito said.
Senator Chiz Escudero earlier questioned the India-made CAC Mahindra’s Enforcer patrol cars, saying they’re “defective and dangerous.”
