Bello: No more pending cases against me before Ombudsman

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Wednesday said he has no pending cases before the Office of the Ombudsman, whose top post he wants to take over in July.

During the public panel interview by screening body Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Bello said he has learned that the Office of the Ombudsman has resolved the cases against him over a 1988 contract involving the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).

Bello was formerly general manager and chief executive officer of the PRA.

"Fortunately, I found out, Your Honor, that the case has been resolved in our favor," Bello told JBC member Maria Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, who asked him about the reported charges.

Rule 4, Section 5 of JBC rules states an applicant for any judicial post or the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman is disqualified from being nominated for appointment if he or she faces pending criminal or regular administrative cases.

After the interview, Bello showed reporters a certification from the Office of the Ombudsman that says he has "no pending criminal and administrative cases" with the anti-graft body, contrary to reports that he still faces charges.

The clearance Bello brandished was issued on June 19, a day before the public panel interview.

Incumbent Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales will end her seven-year term on July 26.

Other candidates seeking to take her place are Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz, Davao judge Carlos Espero II, and lawyers Edna Herrera-Batacan, Rey Nathaniel Ifurung, Rainier Madrid, Felito Ramirez, and Rex Rico and Special Prosecutor Edilberto Sandoval. —KBK, GMA News