By AARON RECUENCO
The three police majors were dismissed from the service a year after they were discovered to have extorted at least P5 million from a bidder for the P300 million worth of body cameras.
Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that he signed the dismissal on Monday based on the recommendation of a probe body that handled their case.
“Today (Monday), I will sign their dismissal from service,” said Gamboa.
Those kicked out of the police service were Police Majors Emerson Sales, Rholly Caraggayan and Angel Beros.
Sales and Caraggayan were no longer reporting for duty when administrative charges were leveled against them.
The PNP leadership has been processing the procurement of thousands of body cameras last year after Congress approves the P330 million fund for the project.
But the procurement hit a snag after the three officials, all members of the Technical Working Group of the Bids and Awards Committee of the PNP, were monitored to be contacting the bidders.
Gamboa, who was then the head of the BAC, said they talked to three bidders to confirm their information but only one of them squealed that a total of P5 million was given for the three police officials.
The bidder who spilled the beans was apparently pissed off after he lost despite an assurance that he would bag the contract after paying P5 million.
Gamboa said the checks issued to the three cops were presented by the bidder and used as pieces of evidence against them.
The corruption caused the delay of the procurement.
Currently, the PNP is racing against time to buy body cameras since failure to do so within the year would result to the return of the P330 million fund to the National Treasury.
“As I promised, we will be transparent to those who are answerable especially to those who are corrupt. We will be dismiss swiftly as fast as we could,” said Gamboa.
Gamboa said that the three cops have still 10 days to appeal their dismissal.
