Dela Rosa: Fate of former SAF chief charged over P59.8 million worth of unreleased SAF allowances now up to Albayalde

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) stand in formation during the SAF’s 27th anniversary at Camp Crame in Quezon City on May 24, 2010. /AFP/Noel Celis/

By Mar Gabriel
Eagle News Service

The fate of former Special Action Force Chief, Police Director Benjamin Lusad, who is facing plunder and malversation charges in connection with his alleged failure to distribute P59.8 million in monthly allowances to SAF troops, now rests in the hands of Incoming Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde.

This is according to PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa, who is slated to bow out as the country’s top policeman on April 19.

“Dapat talaga imbestigahan yan at managot ang dapat managot because corruption yan. Wala tayong cover up,” Dela Rosa said.

He said this was even if he knew Lusad, now  assigned to the PNP Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Southern Luzon, as a “very fine officer, a very good officer at marami akong experience sa kanya, mabubuting experience.”

“But pagdating sa issue na yan ng corruption, dapat managot sila. Hindi yan pupwede. Walang kapatid, walang company mate pagdating sa corruption kailangan sagutin yan nila,” he said.

Lusad headed the SAF from July 2016 to December 2017.

Apart from Lusad, also facing charges before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO) are former SAF budget and fiscal officer Senior Supt. Andre Dizon, and police sergeants Maila Salazar Bustamante and James Rodrigo Irica of the SAF finance office.