Despite of Foreign Travel ban by the Chief of PNP, 29 PNP personnel will still leave for Los Angeles

Miami
October 17, 2008
Story: Despite of Foreign Travel ban by the Chief of PNP, 29 PNP personnel will still leave for Los Angeles

Day after the Philippine National Police (PNP) declared its ban on foreign travel, 29 of its personnel will leave for Los Angeles, California to attend training.

But before letting them go, the PNP conducted pre-departure orientation to remind the police personnel on what to do upon entering and exiting another country. Police Director German Doria, Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) conducted the orientation.

Doria is part of the eight police officers who attended the 77th Interpol Assembly in Saint Petersburg in Russia last October 6 to 11.

The pre-departure orientation was held Friday morning, hours before they will leave the country. The group is about to leave at around 10:00 pm of Friday. Doria reminded the group to read and follow instructions carefully once they enter another country. He also reminded them of bringing money not exceeding to U$10,000, “if doing so declare it to the customs immediately and coordinate well with Customs authorities.”

The group was allowed to travel abroad despite the foreign travel ban order by PNP Chief, Director General Jesus Verzosa. The order on foreign travel ban was released Thursday, October 16 after Director Eliseo dela Paz was held in Moscow airport last October 11, for bringing huge amount of money exceeding the U$ 10,000 limit.

Doria explained that the travel to Los Angeles of the 29 PNP personnel is necessary because it is part of their course requirement in the Officers Senior Executive Course (OSEC) that they are taking under Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC). The OSEC is the last course for any PNP personnel to take up for their promotion.

Originally, there should be 45 PNP personnel that will go to FBI in Los Angeles, but 16 of them were denied in US Embassy while applying for visa application.

The said training is considered as their on-the-job-training or OJT and also called as educational tour. The training will be held at the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and it will only last for one month. If they will not be able to finish it, they will not graduate. Their graduation might be on the 3rd week of November.

Those who will leave have a rank of Superintendent who are already qualified to be promoted as Senior Superintendent.

The 29 police officers are among 37 members of the PSOSEC Class 2008-69 who are attending the FBI seminar to complete the course. Other members of the class are from the Philippine Coast Guard with three students, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology with two students, Bureau of Fire Protection with one student, and two staff of the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC).

Doria said they cannot manage to hold the said travel of the PNP personnel because it is a requirement for the course that they are taking up and also, it is the students who shouldered all the expenses for this trip. “No PNP money is involved here, not all the travels of PNP personnel are being shouldered by the PNP,” he clarified.

Verzosa also ordered a creation of special review committee that will study the policies of the PNP when it comes to police related foreign travel.

Doria said, Versoza ordered him to take a look at this and vowed that they will come up with the resolution immediately so that all approved foreign travel can still be accomplished. Doria said there are other foreign travels in line that will be affected by the travel ban, most of it are training related that they think should be attended by PNP personnel.

Meanwhile, PNP Spokesperson Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome said that the documents that the Russian authorities are requesting are already submitted to them after it was being translated into Russian language.

Bartolome said they are now waiting for the Russian authorities to let dela Paz back in the Philippines.

Once dela Paz is back in the Philippines, he will liquidate the Php 6.903 million “contingency funds” that was given to him when he asked for cash advance.