Palace on flood control probe: Let the Ombudsman do its job

Malacañang on Monday said the public should just let the Office of the Ombudsman continue its investigation into the anomalous flood control projects and not rush things, as demanded by many, as parts of the country suffer from severe flooding due to persistent rains.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Office of the Ombudsman is an independent constitutional body and has its own mandate, separate from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government.

“Nadidinig naman po natin ang mga report, mga salita, ang mga mensahe ni Ombudsman Boying Remulla, kung paano sila nagtatrabaho at paano nila inaaral ang mga naipasa na mga dokumento sa kanilang opisina,” she said in a video statement.

(We’re seeing the reports and the statements of Ombudsman Boying Remulla, how they work and how they study the documents that have been submitted to their office.)

“Batid natin ang hirap na mag-aral ng gabundok na mga files, at random naman din natin na nais din nilang mapabilis lahat ang mga kasong ini-imbestigahan,” she added.

(We understand the difficulty of studying numerous files, and we know that they also want to expedite all the cases being investigated.)

Castro, however, explained it would not be wise to rush the investigation as it may lead to cases getting dismissed due to lack of evidence.

“Mahirap madaliin ang kaso tapos hilaw. Sisihin sila kapag na-dismiss ang kaso dahil kulang sa ebidensya. So, hayaan po natin magtrabaho ang Ombudsman dahil alam po nila ang kanilang responsibilidad,” she said.

(It’s difficult to rush cases that are still raw. The Ombudsman will be blamed if the cases are dismissed because of lack of evidence. So, let’s just let the Ombudsman work because they know what their responsibility is.)

Nevertheless, she maintained that the Ombudsman’s flood control investigation is in accordance with the law. — RSJ, GMA News