THOUSANDS of short and long firearms and body armor vests supposedly transferred from the PNP National Headquarters (NHQ) to various Police Regional Offices (PROs) did not show up in the receipt and acknowledgment reports of the intended recipients, government auditors disclosed.
In the 2020 audit of the PNP released last July 9, books of accounts of 11 PROs showed big differences in the number of received “property, plan, and equipment (PPE)” compared to the volume transferred based on NHQ records.
“Comparison of records pertaining to transferred made by NHA vis-í -vis receipt of items in PROs showed discrepancies in terms of quantity,” the audit team said.
Among the PNP regional offices that reported PPE numbers that did not match were PRO 1, PRO 3, PRO 4A, PRO 4B, PRO 5, PRO 6, PRO 7, PRO 9, PRO 10, PRO Cordillera, and PRO Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Aside from guns and body armors, short deliveries were likewise reported for service vehicles, ambulance, communications equipment, combat helmets, computers, and investigation kits.
For PRO 1, the NHQ recorded transfer of 825 “striker fired 9mm pistols,” 380 “5.56 basic assault rifles,” 378 enhanced combat helmets, and 833 tactical vest Level III-A with two upgraded plates to Level IV.
However, the PRO 1 regional supply accountable officer (RSAO) listed only 525 9mm pistols (300 discrepancy), 180 5.56mm rifles (200 discrepancy), 144 helmets (234 discrepancy), and 127 tactical vests (706 discrepancy).
The audit team was informed the “NHQ transferred the PPEs directly to the support units and not through proper channels.”
Going through the proper channel means the PNP-NHQ should have delivered the items to the PRO 1 based in Camp B/Gen. Oscar M Florendo in San Fernando, La Union to be officially received by its RSAO. It was the RSAO that was supposed to deploy the items based on the needs of PRO 1’s end-user units.
For PRO Cordillera, none of the 1,700 striker fired 9mm pistols, 820 5.56mm basic assault rifles, and 7.62mm light machine guns reflected in its books of accounts even if the PNP-NHQ records showed these items were transferred.
For PRO BAR, 769 9mm pistols, 1,690 5.56mm assault rifles, 560 handheld radios, 273 digital mobile radios, 479 enhanced combat helmets, 1,031 tactical vests, 1,035 undershirt level III-A vests, 400 anti-riot shields, 400 anti-riot helmets, and 200 anti-riot body armor did not show up in the books of accounts.
The explanation offered was that the NHQ failed to turn over the journal entry vouchers (JEV) to PRO BAR.
For PRO 4A, there were 8,566 “communications equipment” transferred but only 6,335 received which meant a difference of 2,231. Of the variance, the RSAO said 772 ended up the Regional Communications and Electronics Office (RCEO) but 1,459 remained listed as “unrecorded.”
For PRO 6, not one of the 551 enhanced combat helmets have been entered into the books, awaiting the journal entry vouchers from the NHQ although the regional office said it received all the items.
However, of the 30 monitors, CPUs and UPS that it was supposed to receive, only 28 of each of the said items arrived. The “missing” units were reportedly diverted to other regions.
Of 40 webcams transferred, only 20 made it to the intended recipients. The other half remain unaccounted for.
For PRO 7, none of the 15 645cc motorcycles and one ambulance recorded by NHQ as transferred was received. The RSAO said none of these vehicles arrived.
Of 1,400 9mm pistols, only 850 were received for a variance of 550. The number was jotted as “for verification.”
None of the 460 digital handheld radios and 245 digital mobile radio were acknowledged by the RSAO but the items reportedly ended up with the RCEU.
Of the 590 tactical vests appearing as “transferred” in NHQ records, only 260 actually arrived. The balance of 330 was “not received by RSAO.”
“The evident discrepancies between the NHQ and the PROs open an avenue for misapplication and possible loss of subject PPEs,” the Commission on Audit said.
The NHQ said it has already journal entry vouchers were already accomplished with regard to “technical and scientific equipment” sent to Police Regional Offices.
About the direct transfer to national support units (NSUs) instead of the normal channels, the PNP complained about “the tedious monitoring”.
On the other hand, the Directorate for Logistics cited “technicalities associated to some NSUs” but said new policies are now being crafted but the “eventual implementation of transfer to PROs will take some time.”
About the rest of the PPEs, the Accounting Division said reconciliation of records to resolve the discrepancies are now being made.
