Drilon wants PNP official charged for chopper mess

Senator Franklin Drilon on Tuesday recommended that an official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) be charged for not reporting that two of the helicopters sold to the PNP as brand new in 2009 were actually pre-owned. During Tuesday's hearing on the alleged misrepresentations in the multimillion purchase of the PNP, Drilon said that he will ask PNP chief Raul Bacalzo to charge Supt. Claudio Gaspar Jr. with gross negligence of his duties. "He (Gaspar) knew it was pre-owned... and yet he never reported it to his superiors," said the senator. Gaspar, who was also a member of the PNP inspection team, had earlier admitted that he used to pilot the two Robinson R44 Raven 1 helicopters sold to the PNP. Gaspar said these choppers were used by the first family when former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was still in power. Mike Arroyo was previous owner On Tuesday, Lion Air president Archibald Legaspi Po confirmed that former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo was the previous owner of the choppers that were sold as brand new to the PNP in 2009. Drilon asked Gaspar why he did not tell this to his superiors. Gaspar, however, said he did not know that they were supposed to be buying brand new helicopters back then. "Sa level ko po di ko po alam ano napag-usapan nila (On my level I didn't know what their agreement was)," he said during the same hearing. Other officials Gaspar was not the only PNP official who was grilled by the members of the Senate blue ribbon committee. On Tuesday, Senator Sergio Osmeña III also asked Supt. Larry Balmaceda why he did not inform other PNP officials when he found out that the choppers were used. Balmaceda just said he could not remember if he told any of his superiors. Osmeña likewise asked P/Dir. George Piano, former PNP director for logistics, why he did not check whether the choppers delivered conformed with their requirements. "You have to exercise due diligence," he said. Piano, for his part, said he just approved the contract based on what was reported to him. "What kind of a people are you... are you taking this lightly?" Enrile told Piano. Enrile also asked the PNP why they did not purchase the choppers directly from Lion Air instead of acquiring them through the Manila Aerospace Trading Corporation (MAPTRA). "Why did you not accredit Lion Air. Why did you accept MAPTRA as a bidder when it did not have any title over the helicopters. You must be hiding something," he said. C/Supt. Herold Ubalde, who was part of the PNP bids and awards committee, said that MAPTRA showed them a certification coming from Lion Air that they are the accredited marketing arm of Lion Air. "So we can't go directly (to) Lion Air," he said. MAPTRA sold one new Robinson R44 Raven II and the two pre-owned Robinson R44 Raven I helicopters to the PNP for P104.985 million in 2009. The Senate hearing was ongoing as of posting time.- VVP, GMA News