VP Leni urges public to stand behind Ombudsman

Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday underscored the need for Filipinos to rally behind the Office of the Ombudsman and other constitutional agencies.

“Sa ating kasaysayan, ilang beses nang hinamon ang kasarinlan ng mga opisinang ito. Sa bawat pagkakataon, hinahamon din ang tibay ng loob ng sambayanang ipagtanggol ang ating mga institusyon,” Robredo said in a statement. ?

“Sa gitna ng mga kasalukuyang isyung kinakaharap ng mga Constitutional offices, kailangan muli ang tibay ng loob ng bawat Pilipino. Sama-sama tayong manindigan para sa ating Saligang Batas at mga demokratikong institusyon, kabilang ang isang walang kinikilingang Ombudsman,” she added.

Robredo made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to probe the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged partiality and corruption after it announced that it has started its investigation into the first family's alleged multi-billion peso bank accounts based on the complaint filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang had said that he was authorized by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to act on Trillanes's complaint and has already requested Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for a final validation of the bank transaction records of the first family.

The AMLC had confirmed receiving the request from Carandang, but denied providing him with the documents.

"We have categorically stated before that the Anti-Money Laundering Council is not the source of the documents and information attached by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV in his complaint regarding the alleged bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte," the AMLC said in a statement.

"It has neither provided the Office of the Ombudsman with any report as a consequence of any investigation of subject accounts for any purpose," it added.

The AMLC also said that the bank accounts in question had "wrong and misleading" amounts.

Meanwhile, Robredo said that agencies such as the Office of the Ombudsman, Civil Service Commission, Commission on Audit, Commission on Elections, and the Commission on Human Rights all play a “critical role” in assuring that an abusive regime would not happen again.

“Buhat ng mapait na pinagdaanan natin sa ilalim ng Diktaduryang Marcos, tinitiyak ng Saligang Batas ng 1987 na hindi na muli makakapamuno ang sinuman nang walang pananagutan,” Robredo said. ??

"Kailangang galangin ang kasarinlang iginagawad ng Konstitusyon sa mga opisinang ito upang kanilang magampanan ang tungkuling panatilihing malinis at tapat ang gobyerno,” she added.?? —Marlly Rome C. Bondoc/KBK, GMA News