Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma (Photo from https://pcoo.gov.ph/)
MANILA, Philippines–Malacañang on Thursday said that they are not pressuring the Office of the Ombudsman to act faster on the complaints regarding the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said they respect the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Judiciary in handling cases against personalities linked to PDAF.
“Hindi naman po tayo pwedeng mag-impose ng deadline o timetable. Ginagalang po natin ang independence ng Ombudsman at iyong separation of powers po ng Executive from the Judiciary kaya nagpapahayag lang po tayo ng pakikiisa sa pag-asa ng mga mamamayan na gagalaw itong proseso ng pagkakaroon ng katarungan hinggil doon sa umano’y maling paggamit ng public funds (We cannot impose a deadline or timetable for the resolution of the cases. We respect the independence of the Ombudsman and the separation of powers between the executive and judiciary. But we merely share the hopes of Filipinos that the cases involving the alleged misuse of PDAF will move quickly),” Coloma said at a media briefing.
“Wala pong hinahangad na ganyan kaya nga po doon sa ating pahayag ay ine-emphasize iyong paggalang sa independence ng Tanggapan ng Ombudsman na nilikha ng Konstitusyon para maging independienteng taga-usig ng mga usapin hinggil sa mga government officials (There is no such pressure on the Ombudsman. That is why we are emphasizing our respect for the Ombudsman’s independence),” he said.
He said President Benigno Aquino III’s New Year message where he said justice in the PDAF case is close at hand refers only to the legal progress of the case from investigation to the filing of complaints before the Ombudsman.
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