DBP supports suicide probe
MANILA, Philippines—The Development Bank of the Philippines said on Thursday it would support formal inquiry into the suicide of one of its lawyers and into whether the incident has something to do with efforts to dig into transactions done during the Arroyo administration to see if there are irregularities.
Leonora Fernandez, DBP first vice president for communications, said in a phone interview that the DBP would welcome if investigations would be formalized by having it brought to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“There is a direction towards bringing the case to the Ombudsman, and we [DBP] would support that,” Fernandez said.
She said efforts to investigate transactions of DBP done during the Arroyo administration are being led by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, and that DBP has already submitted to the finance chief documents that may aid in the inquiry about the suicide of one of the bank’s lawyers.
The documents include copy of the suicide note, copy of the security report on the suicide that happened in a hotel room in Las Piñas, and some documents about communications between DBP management and the lawyer.
The lawyer who committed suicide last Tuesday was Benjamin Pinpin, 43, who served as documentation lawyer of DBP. Fernandez said he was not part of the investigating team of the DBP.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)
Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.
