Palace distances itself from move to suspend PAO chief Acosta

Malacañang on Thursday distanced itself from the  plea of some lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) for the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend their chief, Persida Acosta, over allegations of corruption.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte “does not interfere” in the work of a constitutional body or any branch of the government. The anti-graft body is an independent government agency.

“We’ll let the Ombudsman do its work,” Panelo said at a news conference. “Let the law takes its course.”

He left it to Acosta to decide whether to take a leave in light of the complaint filed against her.

Panelo also said Duterte still trusts Acosta in the absence of “probable cause” from the Ombudsman implicating her in alleged irregularities.

Reports said the call of some PAO lawyers for the Ombudsman to suspend Acosta and forensics chief Erwin Erfe was made in support of the complaint filed by a group led by a certain Wilfredo Garrido.

The complainants alleged that Acosta made purchase orders for long bond paper, markers, ink cartridges, stamp pad inks and other office supplies to be used for the Dengvaxia cases in 2018 even if the office had a supply overstock of those items in 2017.

In May, Garrido sued Acosta and Erfe for graft and misuse of their public office and of public funds in relation to supposedly stirring public anger and alleged hysteria over the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Garrido claimed back then that the PAO Forensic Laboratory manned by Erfe had no mandate from the Congress and was illegal since it was not provided for under the Administrative Code and the PAO Law.

Acosta belied the allegations and said that she will not hesitate to file a countersuit.

“Fictitious po. It is a mere scrap of paper. Pwede po makasuhan ang gagamit niyang [mga sinasabi nila],” Acosta told GMA News Online in a separate text message. — RSJ, GMA News