Deputy Ombud aims to leave office with fewer pending cases
BEFORE he retires on Aug. 20 this year, Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said he wants to clear his desk of pending graft cases.
He said the Ombudsman Visayas Office already resolved all cases filed in 2012 and earlier years.
“Our thrust is to have zero backlog. We prioritize cases involving high-ranking officials, those which involved millions of pesos, and celebrated cases which gain media attention,” Apostol, 62, said in an interview last week.
On top of the list is the ongoing inquiry into Cebuano lawmakers linked to the anomalous use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Apostol said details about the pork barrel investigation are “confidential” for now.
“We’re about to conclude the PDAF investigation. We’re working on it. Whatever recommendation we have shall be sent to Manila (Ombudsman),” he said.
Apostol is the fourth Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas since the anti-graft office was created in the late 1980s.
He assumed his post in 2007 and investigated high-profile cases like the overpriced decorative lamp posts purchased by the DPWH in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu and the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Mandaue City that same year.
Apostol also spearheaded the investigation of the Balili lot purchase by former Gov. Gwen Garcia in 2008.
POST OPEN
The Judicial and Bar Council has opened the position for qualified applicants, who must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines, at least 40 years old, and members of the Philippine bar.
The JBC will select six applicants then trim the number to three nominees for President Benigno Aquino III to make a final choice.
A Deputy Ombudsman has a fixed term of seven years without reappointment. Apostol’s term expires on July 25.
“It’s a privilege to be here. I’m happy to be able to finish my seven-year term in this office,” Aposotol told reporters.
Apostol said he has no plans to appear in court as a lawyer and that he may serve as a legal consultant in a government office or private firm, and engage in gardening which he said is his passion.
A native of Antique, Apostol began his career in the Ombudsman as a special prosecution officer, rising through the ranks until his appointment to his current position in July 2007. /With INQUIRER
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