Skip to main content

Duterte threatens to arrest Ombudsman officials dodging probe

MANILA, Philippine — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday threatened to arrest officials at the Office of the Ombudsman should they fail to cooperate with the commission that he plans to create to probe the body investigating his wealth.

Duterte earlier said he would form a commission that would look into allegations of anomalies and "partiality" in the anti-graft agency.

This was after the Ombudsman announced that it was launching a fact-finding probe into the alleged billions that Duterte's family supposedly owned.

In a televised interview, the firebrand leader threatened the officials at the Ombudsman with arrest if they do not comply with court summons.

"I will create a commission... I will apply for a summons sa Court. Pag hindi ninyo 'yan na-implement, I will arrest you," Duterte said.

"Pag hindi ka sumipot doon sa commission na 'yun, if I do not have the subpoena powers, then I will apply for a subpoena powers from the courts... I will order the police and the military to arrest you. 'Yan lang ang paraan eh," he added.

"Now is the time na magresbak kayo. And I will pin them down."

'Not a dictator'

The Office of the Ombudsman also on Friday said it would not yield to intimidation as it vowed to continue its probe into the chief executive's alleged clandestine wealth.

"If the president has nothing to hide, he has nothing to fear," it said.

Despite his threats to the constitutional body, Duterte maintained in the same interview that he is not a dictator.

"Hindi diktador 'yan. Justice for one is justice for all. Sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose. Sabi niyo, wala kayong corruption? Huwag ninyo akong bolahin, ako mismo biktima," he said.

FAMILY TIES: In this Sept. 16, 2016 file photo, President Rodrigo Duterte marches with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales at the wedding of Waldo and Regina Carpio at a wedding at San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila. Waldo Carpio is a brother of Manases Carpio, husband of Duterte’s daughter Sara. Morales is the sister of Waldo and Manases Carpio’s father. PPD/King Rodriquez © Philstar.com FAMILY TIES: In this Sept. 16, 2016 file photo, President Rodrigo Duterte marches with Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales at the wedding of Waldo and Regina Carpio at a wedding at San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila. Waldo Carpio is a brother of Manases Carpio, husband of Duterte’s daughter Sara. Morales is the sister of Waldo and Manases Carpio’s father. PPD/King Rodriquez

The president is immune from suit while in office, but he can be investigated in a criminal case.

On Wednesday, Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang was quoted as saying that his office had already received the bank transaction record of the president's family from 2006 to 2016 from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The fact-finding investigation stemmed from a case filed by one of Duterte's vocal critics, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, alleging that the first family had hidden wealth.

But AMLC on Thursday denied that it had provided Ombudsman with a report detailing the transaction history of the first family's bank accounts.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has inhibited herself from acting on any case filed against the first family. Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, is married to Morales' nephew, lawyer Manases Carpio.

In August, Duterte gave Carpio-Morales a tongue-lashing for supposedly engaging in "selective justice." He also said the incumbent ombudsman is not entitled to a full term.

The tirade came after the ombudsman criticized Duterte for statements that could be seen as encouraging people to kill.

Attack on an independent office?

The chief of the national organization of lawyers did not seem to take Duterte's warning on the Office of the Ombudsman sitting down.

In a statement on Friday, Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, did not name Duterte but urged public officials not to be "onion-skinned" after Duterte bared his plan to have the Ombudsman investigated by a new commission.

Fajardo said the "creation of another body either by executive issuance or by an act of Congress" may be a violation of the Constitution.

The move also "defeats the independence and flexibility needed by the Ombudsman in the discharge of her duties," the top lawyer said. He added:

?It is judicially established that the Office of the Ombudsman does not owe its existence to any act of Congress. It was created by the Constitution itself. It enjoys fiscal autonomy. As an independent body it must be insulated from political pressure – most especially from the highest political office in the land.  To allow such pressure would result in the prostitution or impairment of its core functions.

— with Camille Diola

Popular posts from this blog

Tech 2017: Biggest fails, scandals and embarrassments

© Provided by IBT US This year brought many tech innovations and products, like the iPhone X, virtual reality headsets and augmented reality on apps. However, the tech industry also saw failures this year. Like all businesses, not all products or ideas succeed. The tech industry saw some of its gadgets fail to take off. Besides product failures, the sector was also plagued by scandals and congressional testimonies. Here are the tech industry’s 2017’s top product flops and scandals: Amazon Key In late October, Amazon announced a new delivery method for Prime members which allows drivers to set packages inside customers’ home . The delivery system works with the Amazon Key In-Home Kit that is set up for $249.99. With the kit, users can select the “in home” option on the app and get their items delivered inside their homes. Prime members can receive alerts and can see the delivery happen in real-time through the app. While the service was pitched to people who are too busy to s...

Cimatu warns miners: Don’t befoul watersheds, forests, aquatic resources

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation Newly-appointed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu poses for a photo before being sworn into office by President Rodrigo Duterte ahead of the 15th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday, May 7, 2017. Robinson Niñal/PPD Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Tuesday warned mining firms to observe responsible mining and avoid destructive practices or face sanctions His pronouncement came in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's second State of the Nation Address, in which the chief executive emphasized mining's impact on the environment. "I know for a fact that in a number of cases, weak and irresponsible mining practices result [in] environmental destruction—contaminating farmlands and poisoning our rivers and seas," Cimatu said in a statement. "Miners better refrain from despoiling our watersheds, forests and aquatic resources," he added. Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Res...

ADB sells green bonds to spur climate change funding

© Provided by Mediamerge Corporation Snowstorm blizzard climate change news-weather news-world international snow winter thumbnail generic The Asian Development Bank (ADB) sold $1.25 billion of green bonds in a dual-tranche issuance to support its low-carbon and climate resilient projects. The Manila-based lender said on Wednesday that more investors saw the value in the use of the proceeds from the bond issuance for climate change mitigation. “ADB is responding to the rapidly growing demand for green bonds with our second dual-tranche outing and our first 5-year green bond offering,” said ADB Treasurer Pierre Van Peteghem. Earlier this year, the bank goaded poor countries to invest in transport, telecommunications, power and water, and sanitation to fight climate change. Venturing into low-carbon investments was also tagged by experts as an opportunity to attract vast capital flows , emphasizing on the potential to create jobs and spur economic growth. With the $1.25 billion ...