OMB yet to implement Ronnie Ricketts’ suspension

Ronnie Ricketts continues to serve as chairman of the Optical Media Board (OMB) despite the Office of the Ombudsman's resolution ordering his suspension from the post, OMB officials said Tuesday.

During the Senate finance committee hearing on the OMB’s P48 million proposed 2015 budget, acting executive director Dennis Lorenzo Pinlac and lawyer Victor Luis Padilla III, who represented the agency, admitted that the board has yet to implement the suspension order.

Padilla said this was because the board has yet to receive a copy of the Ombudsman order.

“Those who should implement the suspension [have] yet to be notified by the Ombudsman. There was an emergency board meeting and that we were told that since they haven’t received any notice from the Ombudsman, status quo will prevail,” he said.

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the suspension of Ricketts and four other board officials for the alleged release of seized pirated DVDs and VCDs just hours after they were confiscated.

Earlier during the hearing, Senators Francis Escudero, committee chairman, and Grace Poe got confused with the contradicting answers of the two OMB officials. When Poe asked who is now running the OMB, Pinlac said he was instructed by their chairman to sign documents on his behalf and the board gave him authority to do that.

When Escudero asked if Pinlac is the acting chairman, Pinlac said, “Right now, in the interim while we are waiting for the advice of the Office of the President, because that is our appointing power, currently I hold the position.”

Escudero then asked Pinlac to submit the board resolution designating him the acting chairman of OMB and a copy of the Ombudsman resolution.

Padilla then said the board has yet to get a copy of the anti-graft body’s order.

“What we discussed during the emergency board meeting was whether the suspension or the legality of the suspension was valid and if the chairman would still be holding office during the interim because as the document stated, the Office of the President is not yet furnished a copy of the order,” he said.

Asked by Escudero on why Ricketts did not attend the hearing when the suspension order has yet to be implemented, Pinlac said the OMB head met with his legal counsel as it was the last day of filing of the motion for reconsideration regarding the case.

Escudero said he will set the OMB budget briefing for another date to allow Ricketts to appear and present the budget of his agency.

“If he (Ricketts) is still the chairman he should attend, if he is not the chairman because he is suspended, kindly submit to us the papers. But if he is still the chairman, he should attend and explain the case and his status as chairman of the OMB,” said Escudero. —KBK, GMA News