That is what Malacañang is doing in the case of the undeclared wealth of President Duterte which was exposed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV way back in April 2016, less than two weeks before the May 9 elections.
Last Monday, July 30, Malacañang released the order signed by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea dismissing Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang from service after Palace investigation found the latter “liable for graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust.” Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang
Pres. Duterte, speaks at the 2017 Anti-Corruption Summit 2017. Malacañang photo by Ruji Abat.When then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte dismissed as “garbage” the exposé of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV during last two weeks of the election campaign about his bank deposits with the Bank of Philippine Islands, Julia Vargas branch, he thought probably that was the end of it.
Duterte was leading the surveys in the contest that he eventually won convincingly.
With the powers of the presidency, Duterte has been effective in crushing most of political his enemies. His devoted mob has been successful in spreading chaos in cyberspace.
But as one sage said, “Truth is always like oil in water; no matter how much of water you add, it always floats on top.”
There is something that defies common sense in the suspension by Malacanang of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for supposedly leaking to media confidential and alleged false information on President Rodrigo Duterte’s bank accounts September last year.
Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang
The “leak” was an interview of Carandang by reporters checking on the progress of the plunder case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with the Office of the Ombudsman in May 2016.
Trillanes attached a bunch of bank documents showing deposits of Pres. Duterte and daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, Davao City mayor, in BPI and other banks in hundreds of millions, much, much more than the amount disclosed by the two in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth when they were Davao City mayor and vice mayor respectively.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a copy of the records of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona’s bank deposits, including dollar accounts that are the subject of a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court. Waiver signed by Corona in his SALN
A highly placed source in the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed that Carpio-Morales sent the request after her office received a complaint seeking an investigation on Corona’s supposed ill-gotten wealth and possible money laundering. But AMLC Executive Director Vicente Aquino said he was not aware of such a letter in his office. “We have not received such request,” he said.
Aquino also said he refuses to talk about Corona’s assets in the media, calling it a “sensitive” issue.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council is composed of the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Insurance Commissioner and the Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson.
(I did this story for VERA Files. It has been released to all media outlets.)
Resignation came with a priceThe government paid a price for getting Merceditas Gutierrez to resign as Ombudsman, a deal one official justified by saying that subjecting her to a drawn-out impeachment trial would have been an emotional and divisive political exercise.
A highly reliable source said President Benigno Aquino III agreed to the two conditions Gutierrez set in exchange for her resignation. One, she would get her full retirement benefits. Two, government would not file charges against her.
The deal, however, does not preclude private individuals from filing cases against the former Ombudsman, who had also served as acting justice secretary during the Arroyo administration, the source said.
First it was Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales who was fired. Then Deputy Ombudsman Luzon Mark Jalandoni, who resigned. Then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who also resigned. Now, Wendell Barreras-Sulit suspended.
SulitSpecial Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit has been charged by Malacañang with graft and betrayal of public trust and suspended for 90 days in connection with the plea bargain agreement the Ombudsman forged with former military comptroller Maj. Gen. (ret.) Carlos Garcia who was accused of amassing some P303 million while in the service.
A two-page formal charge sheet signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. Tuesday said the three-month preventive suspension aims to ensure there will be no tampering with evidence and interference in the investigation.
He said the suspension would start upon Sulit’s receipt of the formal notice.
Sulit could not be reached for comment. But according to sources, she received the suspension order yesterday.
The sources said Sulit scribbled a marginal note on the order, which read, “received under protest subject to outcome of my petition in the Supreme Court and in view of the pendency thereof.”
She signed the order, signifying she was properly served.
Carpio-MoralesSang-ayon ako sa sinabi ni Atty. Harry Roque na dahil sa oposisyun ni Gloria Arroyo, ang kinatawan ngayon ng pangalawang distrito ng Pampanga, sa nominasyun ni Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales dapat lang siya na talaga ang gagawing Ombudsman.Why is she afraid of Carpio-Morales as Ombudsman?
Sabi ni Roque, para kay Arroyo ang napatunayang independence na pinakita ni Justice Carpio-Morales sa mga desisyun sa Supreme Court kung saan nannindigan siya kung saan ang akala niyang tama na palagi ay kabaliktaran nang siya ang naka-upo sa Malacañang.
Ang gusto ni Arroyo, sabi ni Roque, ay ang sunod-sunoran sa kanya katulad ni Merceditas Gutierrez.
Sabi ni Roque tinanggihan niya ang plano ng ibang grupo na i-nominate siya para Ombudsman dahil suportado niya si Carpio-Morales.
Halatang ninenerbyus na si Arroyo ngayon na wala na si Gutierrez sa Ombudsman.
Emilio GonzalezAkala talaga ng mga tao sa Ombudsman sa pamumuno ni Merceditas Gutierrez ay hindi sila sakop ng batas. Ang lalakas ng loob! Ang kakapal ng mukha!
Pakutya na sinabi ni Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus na sorry na lang ang Malacañang at hindi nila susundin ang order ng Pangulo na patalsikin si Deputy Ombudsman Emilio A. Gonzalez III dahil na-imbestigahan na raw nila ang akusasyon ng namatay na pulis na si Rolando Mendoza na kinikikilan siya ng P150,000 at “cleared” na raw si Gonzalez.
Pambihira naman. Sila-sila lang ang nagi-imbestiga ng kanilang sarili. Siyempre “cleared”.
Noong Biyernes pinalabas ng Malacañang ang order ni Pangulong Aquino na tanggalin sa pwesto si Gonzalez pagkatapos ma kumpirma ng team na pinangungunahan ni Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa ang resulta ng imbestigasyun at rekomendasyun ng Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) na pinamumunuan ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na dapat panagutin si Gonzalez dahil nagpabaya at hindi tama ang kanyang asal (gross neglect of duty and gross misconduct) sa paghawak sa kaso.
This is a press release from the Office of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa , who headed the panel that reviewed the recommendation of the Investigation and Review Committee headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima that headed the investigation of the Aug. 23 tragedy.
We hope Gonzalez is just the first of those that will be hold accountable for the fiasco that cost the lives of 8 Hongkong nationals and a series of blunders in the country’s relations with China.We are waiting what the government will do with Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno and former PNP Chief Jesus Verzosa. They too were negligent of their duties.
Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III has been dismissed by the Office of the President (OP) for gross neglect of duty and gross misconduct in handling the dismissal complaint against hostage-taker former P/Sr. Insp. Rolando Mendoza, on recommendation of Palace lawyers who reviewed the findings of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC).
The approval by the House Justice Committee of the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez shows momentum in the fight to make government officials accountable of their actions.
Thirty-nine of the 55 members of the Justice committee found there are “reasonable grounds that an impeachable offense has been committed “by Gutierrez and that she is “probably guilty” and that she should face trial.”
The committee voted on two complaints against Gutierrez. The first one was filed by Akbayan led by former Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel alleged that Gutierrez betrayed public trust as shown by the low conviction rates of the Office of the Ombudsman under her leadership; inaction on the $329.5 million controversial National Broadband Network-ZTE telecommunications deal; inaction on the 1995 death of Navy Ensign Phillip Pestaño.
