By Christine F. Herrera
Manila Standard Today
“How long will the President take the bullet for his men?” asked Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay.
In appointing Bartolome to replace Puno, who resigned Tuesday, Magsaysay said, Mr. Aquino was preempting incoming Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who was named to fill the vacancy left by Jesse Robredo, who died in a plane crash on Aug. 18.
When Mr. Aquino appointed Robredo, he had removed the supervision of the police from his duties and assigned the task to his close associate, Puno, in a move observers said was unusual.
Magsaysay said the President was making Roxas “another Robredo” in allowing Bartolome to take Puno’s place, when the police chief was “in as deep as Puno” in approving the P1-billion deal to buy 60,000 Glock pistols.
Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino agreed.
“Bartolome replacing Puno is not only a preemptive move but a cover-up by the President to keep from the public the truth about the gun deals,” he said.
“While the President said the P1 billion is such a small [amount], P1 billion is P1 billion that is paid for by honest taxpayers,” Palatino said.
“The President, Puno and Bartolome have to account for the P1-billion deal.”
For the sake of transparency, Puno and Bartolome should make public all their procurement transactions, Palatino said.
“There could be bigger questionable deals. The P1 billion might be just one of them,” Palatino added, saying he supported Agham Rep. Angelo Palmones’ call for a congressional investigation of the deal.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño added that the Glock contract should be suspended pending such an investigation.
“A delay of two or three weeks to clear the P1-billion Glock contract won’t hurt. The size of the contract merits extraordinary diligence on the part of the new DILG leadership,” Casiño said.
Magsaysay said the President had preempted Roxas from correcting the setup in the department where the secretary had no control over the police.
“Will that be the set-up again? Will Mar [Roxas] be like another Robredo and Bartolome another Puno? What made the President change his mind and reverse his decision to give Mar Roxas a free hand in bringing his own team?” Magsaysay said.
In the Senate, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said Puno would still be required to answer questions regarding the controversial gun contract at a public hearing Friday.
She also said Puno should have shown some “delicadeza” by resigning sooner. Instead, he “hung in there until the President was compelled to announce his replacement,” she said.
“When a replacement has been named, that means you have been overstaying and you’re going to be kicked out by the seat of your pants,” Santiago said. With Joel E. Zurbano
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/09/12/solons-accuse-aquino-of-cover-up-in-gun-deals/
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RELATED STORY:
Bartolome may not replace Puno in DILG
Source: The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino admitted yesterday that Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome might not replace resigned Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Rico Puno after all.
In an ambush interview at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Aquino did not specifically name Bartolome but told reporters that before he left for Russia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last weekend, the “person” was okay to take the job of Puno as undersecretary for peace and order, but after he came back, the person seemed to have changed his mind.
“So is there a replacement already? As I understand it, there was when I left but when I came back, he might not be ready during the time I would be needing him,” Aquino said.
There are speculations that Bartolome does not want to retire early to be appointed DILG undersecretary and that he would prefer to run for Tarlac congressman.
There are also reports that retired PNP deputy chief for administration Arturo Cacdac Jr. might be tapped to become DILG undersecretary instead.
“So now, we are still (looking). There is no person there designated and I think (incoming DILG) Secretary (Manuel) Roxas (II) will be the right person to designate his undersecretaries,” Aquino said.
In an interview with reporters in Vladivostok where he attended the APEC summit, Aquino said he might replace Puno with Bartolome but that it was just a possibility.
Organizers of the event required police officers to wear service blouse during the ceremony. A service blouse is the police uniform worn during formal occasions.
Bartolome’s counterpart in the military, Armed Forces chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa, was in bush coat, a military uniform, during the awarding ceremony.
Bartolome also attended the recognition rites for the Search for Outstanding Public Officials and Employees that were also held in Camp Aguinaldo.
He read the citation for Cacdac, a finalist for the Presidential Lingkod ng Bayan award.
The PNP chief is scheduled to retire on March 6, 2013 upon reaching 56, the mandatory retirement age for police personnel.
Bartolome, however, clarified that he is still the chief of the 140,000-strong PNP.
“No, no, Chief PNP pa rin (I’m still PNP chief),” he said when asked whether he is now with the DILG.
Bartolome urged reporters not to put meaning into his civilian attire. He said he wore the barong because he had been asked to read the citation for Cacdac.
“We are both wearing barong and I was the one who read his citation. It’s just that we need to wear the same attire this afternoon,” he said.
Bartolome declined to comment on reports that he will soon be appointed DILG undersecretary.
“No comment. We have not discussed that and nothing is final. I would rather wait for the final discussions,” he said.
“He (Puno) has his own views for (resigning). Let’s give him a chance to have space after his government office,” he added.
When asked whether he would retire from the service early, Bartolome said, “I do not have such plan.”
Bartolome also clarified that he is not thinking of pursuing an electoral post.
“I don’t know where that report came from but take it from me. I do not have any plan. I’m not thinking about it,” he said.
When asked what he intends to do after bowing out of the service, Bartolome said, “Maybe I will just be a private citizen.”
“Every retiree wants to rest because by then, I will have spent 36 years in government service,” he added. – Aurea Calica, Alexis Romero
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