Ombudsman to release regular reports on graft cases

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has decided to release regular reports on the status of graft cases undergoing trial at the Sandiganbayan in an apparent effort to prove to the public that anti-graft investigators are doing their job to curb corruption in the country.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Jesus Micael said the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) will conduct monthly assessment and review of pending graft cases to make the public appreciate how corruption in government is being confronted in the Sandiganbayan, which is the anti-graft court in the country.

He said for the month of February, expected to be resolved are the charges filed against former Parañaque City mayor Joey Marquez who was accused of the purchase of overpriced brooms in 1997.

Records showed that Marquez was implicated in nine questionable transactions all carried out without bidding, and the government lost P76,822 from the overpriced walis tingting.

Micael said the OSP is also set to begin presenting evidence against former Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Mariano J. Dumancas Jr. who is accused of engaging in illegal transactions; irregular purchase of supplies, materials, and equipment; and other graft-related charges.

The OSP also announced that it is still in the process of prosecuting Bureau of Customs (BOC) Deputy Commissioner Gil Valera for illegally entering into a compromise agreement with a firm, which owed the government more than P37 million.

The government lost over P14.7 million with the installment package, which charged no interest.

Micael said the OSP’s case against old and new Board Members of the Public Estates Authority (PEA), Commission on Audit (COA) auditors, and a private contractor in relation to the overpriced construction of the Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City is also moving forward.

Prosecutors have already submitted their formal offer of evidence to the Sandiganbayan and they are waiting for the anti-graft court’s resolution.

The OSP decided to come up with periodic reports on the status of its graft cases against erring government officials amid calls for Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to resign for her alleged failure to resolve big graft cases like the World Bank corruption report, the fertilizer fund scam, and others.

Micael, along with Deputy Special Prosecutors Wendelle Barreras-Sulit and Cornelio Somido; Directors John Turalba and Rebrendanath Uy; and Assistant Special Prosecutor Maria Gilda T. Loja-Pangilinan, defended the Office of the Ombudsman against those they referred to as “do-nothing” groups and individuals who can only criticize.

They said it is disheartening to see how some sectors fail to see how Ombudsman Gutierrez and all other officials of the Office of the Ombudsman are working very hard to fight graft and corruption while respecting everybody’s right to due process.