(Eagle News) — Senator Grace Poe has filed a resolution seeking a Senate probe into the Philippine National Police’s purchase of Mahindra patrol vehicles worth P1.8 billion.
In Senate Resolution No. 777, Poe asked that the Senate blue ribbon committee and the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs conduct the inquiry into the 2015 purchase which the Commission on Audit described as being “riddled” with irregularities.
According to Poe, the COA report “validates concerns raised way back in 2014, during which it was reported that the terms of reference for the purchase were modified to eliminate other bidders, and that Mahindra was not even qualified in the first place due to their lack of service centers.”
The COA report also noted that the PNP did not conduct an “operational needs assessment” prior to the purchase.
“The damage done by the lemon Mahindras compromised security crippled the police and left citizens vulnerable,” she said.
On Thursday, July 5, Senator Panfilo Lacson expressed support for an inquiry into the purchase, saying he would like to summon former government officials for its conduct, including then-Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. Meanne Corvera