Complaints on police loan payments brought to Duterte’s attention

President Rodrigo Duterte has already been informed about the alleged anomaly involving the collection of payment of loans made by police personnel from accredited cooperatives of the Philippine National Police, his chief aide said on Thursday.

Seventy-four PNP employees complained about six multipurpose cooperatives that allegedly impose excessive interest rates on loans under a prolonged payment scheme without their knowledge.

The complainants, both retired and active personnel, are mostly from Mindanao —20 of them have the rank of Police Officer 3, and 16 are PO2s.

Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go said the matter was taken up during the joint command conference of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines in Malacañang last Tuesday.

Go said that Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año and PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde vowed to stop the “illegal” loan payment scheme.

“Nangako si Secretary Año at si General Albayalde na titingnan nila ito at iyong mga iligal na pagkaltas, hindi na mangyayari ito. Iyong legitimate lang na finance institutions lang ang puwedeng magbawas at sisiguraduhin nila na may matatanggap pa rin na minimum [na sahod] iyong pulis,” Go said in an interview on state-run Radyo Pilipinas.

“Ayaw na ayaw ni Pangulong mangyari na iyong [salary increase ay] mapupunta lang doon sa mga loan shark at hindi mapakinabangan ng pulis. Kaya nga dinoble ng Pangulo [ang kanilang sahod] para may maiuwi sila sa kanilang pamilya,” he added.

A month before he stepped down as PNP chief, Bureau of Corrections Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa last March directed the PNP’s Finance Service to temporarily stop the automatic loan payment deductions from PNP personnel's salaries by six multipurpose cooperatives.

Cooperatives covered by the directive include the Government Civil Servants Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Yaman at Kabuhayan ng Kawal at Pulis Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Finance Family Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Kooperatiba ng Pulis at Sundalo Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Pulis Kapit Bisig Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Tagapagtaguyod Multi-Purpose Cooperative. —LBG, GMA News