by Atty. Ernesto B. Francisco, Jr.
This latest move of the Office of the Ombudsman to spare First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo and other individuals prominently mentioned in the World Bank reports from preliminary investigation and from the risk – no matter how remote – of being charged before the Sandiganbayan, coupled with the ploy of passing on its job of investigating them to the National Bureau of Investigation (“NBI”), is totally disgusting and sickening. This is too much. This also proves that the Ombudsman really takes 80 million Filipinos for fools.
The Ombudsman just announced that preliminary investigation would be conducted against 17 ranking Department of Public Works and Highways (“DPWH”) officials for charges of graft, grave misconduct, dishonesty, neglect of duty, among others, in connection with the collusive bid-rigging of World Bank-assisted road projects. In a newspaper report,[2] the Ombudsman was quoted as saying that “it uncovered an ‘indication of collusion’ between officials and private contractors.” It was further reported that Malacañang Palace “welcomed the Ombudsman’s recommendation to file charges against the DPWH officials.”
But the questions that right away struck the readers were: how about First Gentleman Mike Arroyo? Why wasn’t he included in the preliminary investigation? How about contractor Eduardo De Luna and the alleged arrangers Boy Belleza and Augusto “Tito” Miranda? Weren’t they all mentioned in the World Bank reports which were the basis for the Ombudsman investigation?