Ombud tasked to finish admin cases ahead of polls
Clemente
With less than a year before the elections, the Ombudsman-Visayas said it is speeding up the resolution of administrative cases filed against local elective officials.
Paul Elmer Clemente, Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas, said there are 29 cases against elected officials that are pending in Regions 6, 7 and 8 as of March this year.
“Ombudsman Morales issued a directive to wrap up cases against elective officials before the elections to avoid being hampered by the Aguinaldo doctrine,” Clemente told several journalists all over Visayas during a visit last Friday.
READ: Visayas Ombud to wrap up cases before 2016 election
The Ombudsman-Visayas opened its doors to 20 journalists during the Visayas leg of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) Investigative Reporting Seminar: Transparency, Accountability and the 2016 elections held in Cebu from May 13 to 16.
The participants got a tour of the different offices and sections of the Ombudsman-Visayas with Clemente explaining its different functions.
Doctrine
The Evaluation and Investigation Office handles all formal administrative cases involving elective officials.
Composed of two teams with nine lawyers each, the office has been fast tracking the resolution of cases in order to properly impose administrative sanctions like suspension orders.
The Aguinaldo doctrine has been repeatedly upheld in Supreme Court jurisprudence since it renders all administrative cases filed against reelected public officials.
The doctrine’s basis stems from the perception that voters condoned his or her alleged acts of wrongdoing in a previous term through his or her reelection.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales is asking the Supreme Court to revisit the doctrine which hampers the office’s investigation of public officials especially in criminal cases.
Clemente said 1,000 cases more will be referred to their office from the Sandiganbayan by next year.
“With the new load expected, we would need at least four or five more prosecutors for our ofifce,” Melendez told the journalists.
Later during a press conference, Clemente belied accusations that the Ombudsman would release its decisions in time for the elections in order to harass elected officials.
“The people have the right to know if candidates are competent and are who they really present to be. We try to weed out elective officials who’ve committed unlawful acts,” he said.
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