Drilon to Ombudsman: Locate ‘missing link’ vs Arroyo
Outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Office of the Ombudsman should locate and present to the court a former official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), an alleged “missing link” in the plunder case against former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Thursday.
Drilon said former PCSO General Manager Rosario Uriarte was the key witness after she implicated Arroyo in the alleged misuse of the agency’s intelligence funds.
“Rosario Uriarte was the principal resource person in the Senate investigation. She was the key witness who said that it was former President Arroyo who personally approved the PCSO intelligence budget. But I do not know, I do not think that she was presented as a witness in the case and so there was no testimony to that effect…” he said at a regular forum in the Senate on Thursday.
“I would urge the Ombudsman at this point to check whether or not Uriarte has left the country or her whereabouts. If she has left the country and that can easily be checked and if she’s in a country where we have an extradition treaty, the Ombudsman should take effort now to have her brought back to the country so that she can testify either as a state witness or that she can be confronted with the documents and her testimony in the Senate hearing,” the senator said.
READ: SC orders release of Arroyo
Drilon said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales can make an official request to the Department of Justice or the Department of Foreign Affairs to locate Uriarte.
“If for example, just theoretically, if Uriarte is found in the United States, we have an existing extradition treaty with the US, a request can be made for Uriarte to be brought back here,” he said.
He could not say, however, if Uriarte’s testimony in court could help strengthen the case against Arroyo or if the Ombudsman could still appeal the Supreme Court’s junking of the case against the former President.
READ: Morales to Arroyo: Not so fast
Drilon, former justice secretary, could not also say whether or not there was a failure on the part of the Ombudsman as prosecutor that led to the dismissal of the case against Arroyo.
“That question requires an assessment of how the Supreme Court arrived at that decision because it was a what we call a demurrer to the evidence, which means that the view of the defense, of the accused, is that if they will not present evidence in their behalf, the evidence submitted by the prosecution is not sufficient to convict and therefore, the case should be dismissed,” he said.
“From that, you will realize that what was required was an appreciation of the evidence presented. I cannot pass judgment on whether or not there was enough evidence presented because I’ve not seen the decision.”
“But I can say that I am saddened and disappointed but as an officer of the court, as a lawyer, as a former Secretary of Justice, I respect the decision of the Supreme Court, especially that I have not even seen the decision, read the decision, but I assume that they used their knowledge of the law, the assessment of the evidence presented in order to come up with a decision. I am disappointed but I respect the decision,” Drilon added. CDG/rga
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