Jonvic clarifies online document unrelated to P8B PNP insertion request

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla clarified on Monday that the resolution circulating on social media is from NAPOLCOM and has nothing to do with the P8-billion congressional insertion for the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“We (General Torre and I) have a good relationship. They are trying to make us clash, I think… I would like to give him credit because he refused it, as I recommended,” Remulla said in Filipino.

“So General Torre did not do anything wrong. He cooperated with me, he confirmed, so we are okay on this issue,” he added, stressing that the resolution circulating online is from NAPOLCOM and has nothing to do with the firearms deal they already agreed to refuse.

Meanwhile, NAPOLCOM Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer Rafael Vicente Calinisan presented the original documents from the agency. There are two documents presented. A Memoramdum Circular and a resolution.

The resolution aims to set aside certain designations or appointments to positions, which includes General Nartatez and 12 others. Two days later, NAPOLCOM released a Memorandum Circular that was issued to establish safeguards in the designation of 3rd level officers.

“So maybe this is what they are referring to. Whoever the creative one was who photoshopped it, trying to impute malice to the Secretary and the National Police Commission, that is totally not true,” Calinisan stressed.

He further revealed that he even warned Nartatez: “Be careful, maybe a request will reach you about the P8 billion. I already refused that, and General Torre also refused that.”

Remulla emphasized that he and General Torre had agreed twice that the PNP does not need 80,000 firearms, underscoring his position that anything beyond the President’s National Expenditure Program (NEP) will not be approved as he described any insertion as a “red flag.”