Ombudsman acts swiftly on chopper deal case vs Mike A

MANILA, Philippines - Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales today announced that she has given a fact-finding team seven days to evaluate the findings of the Senate blue ribbon committee that former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo conspired with interior secretary Ronaldo Puno and police officials in the anomalous purchase of used helicopters in 2009.

"I have given them seven days to wind up the fact-finding investigation. The seventh day ends on Friday next week," Morales said in her first-ever press conference since she assumed the post left vacant by Merceditas Gutierrez.

She said that upon receipt of the committee report yesterday from the Senate committee, headed by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, she immediately formed a special team composed of a special prosecutor and directors of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Morales said that the one-week deadline for the fact-finding team would be enough since the Senate committee had already done a "very exhaustive" investigation into the Philippine National Police's (PNP) purchase of the helicopters.

"Given the submission of this more detailed result of its investigation, that would lighten our burden because the investigation was very exhaustive," she said.

Since the Ombudsman can already start an investigation without a formal complaint, former acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro formed a team to conduct an initial investigation on the controversy.

Morales said that she saw the need to form a new team because of the extent of investigation that the Senate committee had conducted.

The Senate committee said former first gentleman Arroyo, Puno, former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa and other police officials acted in concert to fool the Filipino people.

Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Panfilo Lacson and Guingona filed graft charges with the Office of the Ombudsman against Arroyo, Puno, Verzosa and 16 other police officials yesterday.

In a three-page letter to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, the senators also referred for preliminary investigation the findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

Commissioner Miguel Coronel, Assistant Secretary Oscar Valenzuela and Director Conrado Sumanga, members of the Napolcom oversight committee; police generals Luizo Ticman, Ronald Roderos, Romeo Hilomen, and Leocadio Santiago who comprised the PNP negotiation committee; police colonels Ermilando Villafuerte and Roman Loreto, legal officers of the bids and awards committee who were present during the negotiation conference and police officers Herold Ubalde, Job Nolan Antonio, Edgar Pataan, George Piano and Crisostomo DL Garcia were also named respondents in the case.

“Conspiracy exists when two or more persons come to an agreement concerning the commission of a felony and decide to commit it. It is well entrenched in our jurisprudence that conspiracy need not be proved by direct evidence,” the complaint read.

The senators added that proof of previous agreement to commit the crime is not essential to establish conspiracy.

Other cases vs Arroyos

The new Ombudsman, meanwhile, said that her office is working jointly with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the other cases that have been filed against the former first gentleman and former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"Yes, we coordinate [in] fact finding, gathering of evidence. They are [actually the ones] helping us," she said when asked if her office is jointly working with the DOJ on the cases filed against the former first couple.

Aside from cases filed before the Ombudsman, several cases have also been filed against the Arroyo couple before the DOJ.

Morales, meanwhile, clarified that her office should have the final decision on the plunder cases filed against the Arroyo couple.

"Plunder cases should be finally reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman. It's the Ombudsman that will determine once and for all if the case merits filing in court," she said.

Big school of fish

In opening statement, Morales vowed to fight corruption and go after a "big school of fish" all throughout her stint as Ombudsman.

"We should abandon the culture of corruption, and breaking the culture of impunity cannot be done overnight," she said. "As the saying goes: Rome wasn't built in a day."

She said that she is working to improve the public's perception on her office. One of the many steps she is undertaking is by prioritizing high-profile cases that involve big personalities.

"There is a need to improve public perception. In improving public perception, there is no substitute for doing one's job well," she said.

The Ombudsman said that she intends to resolve at least 11,000 cases pending at the central office. She said that she has already started for the zero-backlog target by signing several action papers, where majority of the respondents are teachers.