Ombud refutes accusations of political bias

OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio-Morales dismissed accusations by elective officials identified with the opposition that her office has been selective in prosecuting and enforcing penalties on erring public servants.

In a press statement posted on the Ombudsman’s website yesterday, Morales said her office doesn’t look at the party affiliation of politicians accused of graft and corruption nor the timing of the release of the decisions.

“Fighting corruption is a 24/7 job. We decide only on the basis of evidence. After careful and objective evaluation of the evidence gathered, we immediately file cases, if warranted. We are oblivious of the timing of the filing of cases in courts, just as corrupt public officials steal public money every time an opportunity comes,” she said.

Morales appealed to politicians facing cases at the anti-graft office to stop giving the public the impression that they are being politically prosecuted.

She said political harassment has become the standard “public relations” defense of politicians charged with graft and corruption or plunder.

“This will not stand in court, and the public is not gullible to believe their claim,” she said.

Morales said the Filipino people are the real victims of corruption since “every peso lost means less free medicines for indigent patients in government hospitals and health centers, less textbooks and classrooms in public schools, and less food packs for victims of natural disasters.”

Morales said she’s happy with the March 28 Bilang Pilipino SWS Mobile Survey which showed that half of its respondents had “much trust” in the Office of the Ombudsman, giving the constitutional body a net trust rating of +49.