New Cebu Ombudsman negates transparency vow

CEBU CITY – New Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Primo Miro yesterday made it his first official act to make things difficult for media.

Reporters covering the Office of the Ombudsman found they no longer had access to documents and other information allegedly on orders of Miro.

This is in direct contrast to his boss, Aniano Desierto, who said in a radio interview that the restriction was well within the prerogatives of Miro.

Desierto, nevertheless, said he would review a memo issued by Miro and reverse it if he finds anything wrong with it.

Miro issued a memo naming Chief Special Prosecutor Estella Alma Singco as his official public information officer.

But what concerns reporters is not the designation of a new spokeswoman but the restriction of access to public records.

Reporters had previously enjoyed almost unrestricted access to documents from the records section. Now they will have to make do with copies secured from sources outside the office, such as the parties to the cases themselves.

Singco sees nothing wrong with the restriction, saying it merely implements the rule of confidentiality allowed in the office under the law creating the Ombudsman. She said the rule is intended to protect parties to litigation, particularly the accused, until action has been taken on their cases.

But members of the justice beat see the development another way, believing it to be Miro’s way of getting even with media, which openly criticized his appointment.

Miro used to be the chief city prosecutor who had built a reputation of frequenting places of night entertainment. — Freeman News Service