Contact Details

Rm. N-411, House of Representatives, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 931 5497, +63 2 931 5001 local 7370

The Ombudsman is the favorite "Whipping boy" of the Aquino Administration

Press Statements
  • Office of the Minority Leader Edcel C. Lagman
  • 0916 6406737
  • 932 5412 / 9315497

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  • The ultimate culpability in the fatal hostage taking fiasco was with the Office of the President which lost control of the situation due to the lack of leadership and competence of concerned executive officials in confronting and solving the crisis.

     

  • With respect to the hostage fiasco, the onus of culpability should not be thrown to the Ombudsman who has become the Aquino administration's favorite “whipping boy”.

     

  • The filing of charges against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other officials of the past administration does not depend on the ouster of the Ombudsman in an impeachment proceeding which could take time.

     

  • Proper cases can be filed anytime before the Ombudsman and/or Department of Justice which are the duly constituted bodies with appropriate prosecutorial jurisdiction.

 

  • The statement attributed to the Chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that the Ombudsman should also be impeached for the “Garcia plea bargaining deal” fails to consider that the one-year-bar-rule prohibits the filing of another impeachment case against the Ombudsman before the expiration of the one year from the filing with the House of Representatives or referral with the Committee on Justice of the current impeachment complaints.

 

  • However, said recommendation highlights the following:

                  1. Contrary to popular perception, the Ombudsman is not presently being impeached for her supposed role in the “Garcia plea     bargaining deal”.

     2. It is a virtual admission that the present complaints are weak and could not legally prosper so much so that there is need to supplement the pending complaints or file a new one.