‘Unholy influence’ on Ombudsman?
Former mayor and now Rep. Evelio Leonardia has been accused of plunder in six cases and of other acts of corruption in 20 others, based on COA (Commission on Audit) reports.
Three of these cases were illegally dismissed by former deputy ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni who resigned when his illegal actions in the agency were discovered. Are we going to file these illegally dismissed cases again? They have been gathering dust in the Office of the Ombudsman for the last eight years.
One of the three has Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ final instructions for the filing of criminal and administrative charges against the accused. Surprisingly, this case was sent back to the Ombudsman for the Visayas, where an assistant director mysteriously had the Ombudsman’s directive superseded. I sense some unholy influence here.
Incumbent Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella, a former three-term congressman, faces only one case—an alleged conspiracy for the fraudulent purchase of IT facilities, which actually benefited all public elementary and high schools in Bacolod City way back in 2000. Ironically this was filed almost seven years ago by the then city legal officer (now deceased) of Mayor Leonardia, apparently as part of their smear campaign during the 2007 mayoralty elections. For how else could it be, when the same items were purchased by more than a hundred mayors, governors, lawmakers and public schools? The project was even endorsed by two education secretaries. And yet, only Puentevella was charged; and getting “preferential” attention, the Office of the Ombudsman has elevated his case to the Sandiganbayan. This, despite the absence of a COA suspension order or disallowance notice, and without Puentevella’s direct participation in the purchase. Besides, the funds were directly given to the Department of Education, a duly constituted government agency—not an NGO or a foundation associated or remotely linked to any of Janet Napoles’ activities.
On the other hand, the cases against Leonardia are supported by COA reports, and involve an aggregate amount that is too glaring for the Ombudsman to ignore—
P1 billion. And yet not one of those cases has prospered. One case alone already covers almost P400 million.
I can only wonder why.
Even more tragic was the recent, untimely death of one of Puentevella’s coaccused, retired DepEd regional director Victoriano Tirol Jr. I am told that depression took a toll on his frail health following the recent elevation of the case to the Sandiganbayan (after almost seven years). Innocent people are dying because of unjust actions. Tirol was a bishop of the Evangelical Body of Christ Church, an Outstanding Boholano Around the World awardee, and a summa cum laude graduate with six degrees in education.
—SARAH ESGUERRA, Bacolod City
