Lacson wants probe over unreleased P59-M SAF allowance

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson wants a Senate investigation into the alleged withholding of daily subsistence allowance and explosive ordinance disposal hazardous pay worth P59.8-million for the Philippine National Police’s elite Special Action Force.
Senate Resolution No. 712 directs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, chaired by Mr. Lacson, to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the alleged illegal withholding of the release of the allowances.
It seeeks to propose remedial legislation “to correct the same and put a stop to this unlawful practice to the prejudice of the intended beneficiaries.”
Mr. Lacson filed the resolution the same day outgoing PNP chief Ronald M. Dela Rosa sacked Police Director Benjamin Lusad, then SAF chief, from his current post in Southern Luzon. Mr. Lusad, along with other SAF officials, are also facing malversation and plunder charges at the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the allowance withholding.
“We cannot allow, yet again, another injustice to be committed against our heroes in uniform who are in the forefront of our fight against the ills of terrorism and criminality, lest we risk demoralization within their ranks. Thus the need to probe into the said allegations,” he said in his resolution.
Aside from the regular allowances given to the police forces, members of the PNP SAF are given a daily additional subsistence allowance (ASA) worth P30 or P900 monthly and allocations for Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Hazardous Pay.
However, records from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed that the 4,000 SAF members only got their share of ASA for January 2016 and January to July 2017. — Camille A. Aguinaldo