Duterte vows to expose corruption at Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman (File photo by NINO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing to create a commission to investigate alleged corruption activities at the Ombudsman.

Duterte made the statement amid the Ombudsman’s probe into his wealth that allegedly amounts to billions of pesos.

“Sabihin ng Ombudsman walang corruption. Tanungin mo yung mga military, kayong mga Filipino, tanungin ninyo mga military nagkakaso diyan, magkano yung binayad nila, pulis, lahat mayor, governors, tanungin ninyo, bayad yan, bayad yan. Anak ng…Pagkabayad ng kaso, dismiss yan,” he said in an interview aired over PTV4 on Thursday night.

(The Office of the Ombudsman says there’s no corruption in their ranks. Better ask the military, the Filipino people, asked the military personnel who had been charged and they would they tell you the amount they paid to have their cases dropped.)

Asked whether corruption still exists until now, he said: “Ay oo. Sigurado yan (Yes, sure).”

“You’ll be investigated also. One of these days kayo ang sigurado kong hahabulin dahil nga yung partiality ninyo (I will go after you because of your evident partiality). Pag hindi ninyo imbestigahan ang sarili ninyo, ako ang mag-set up ng (If you don’t conduct an internal investigation I will set up a) commission to investigate you as a President with investigating powers,” he said.

“Magkagulo tayo niyan kasi, sino ang mag-imbestiga sa kalokohan ninyo (We will be in big trouble because who will look into  your misdeeds). What is the remedy of the Filipino kung kayo sige hingi. Ako, wag mo ako lokohin.  Do not force my hands into it. I will set up a commission to investigate the Ombudsman, [the] institution itself,” he added.

Duterte claimed that he was also asked for bribed by the Ombudsman when he was still a Davao City Mayor but he refused to give in. He said his case was later dismissed by the Supreme Court.

The Inquirer reported on Wednesday that the Ombudsman was looking into President Duterte’s wealth that allegedly amounts to billions of pesos.

Ombudsman Chairman Conchita Carpio-Morales has authorized Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang to “handle the cases” involving the President’s family.

Carandang said on Tuesday that his office had approved the request of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao to obtain the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) final report on the Duterte family’s bank transaction records when he was still mayor Davao City mayor.