The Ombudsman is interfering in politics

Regarding the news story “Duterte ‘kill’ directive unacceptable” (7/15/17), the President himself has time and again explained that there is no law that prohibits him from saying that he would “kill” suspected drug traffickers.

If he says he would gladly kill those who are behind the drug menace in the country, it’s a  figure of speech or hyperbole that merely underscores his firm resolve to address the problem  of illegal drugs.

In fact, last December, when she appeared at an Inquirer forum, Morales said “It’s not illegal to say ‘I will kill you,’” when asked to comment on Mr. Duterte’s threats to kill criminals.

So I cannot understand why she has taken a 180-degree turn and now claims that “he’s goading people to kill people.”

Mr. Duterte is a lawyer like Morales and knows the limits of his powers. It’s not illegal for him to say he wants to kill criminals; what would be illegal is for him to personally pull the trigger on a suspected criminal instead of having him arrested and sent to jail. But Morales already knows that, so why is she suddenly raising the same issue?

Besides, why is the Ombudsman interfering in politics? Why can’t she focus instead on facilitating the resolution of cases pending  before her, especially those which she has been sitting on for years?

If the Ombudsman has the time to comment on politics, specifically on the work of the President as Chief Executive, for sure she knows what is going on in her own backyard. Or doesn’t she know that there are far too many unresolved graft cases gathering dust right under her very nose?

ROSE MARIE FE SANCHEZ, [email protected]