MANILA: After finding time to personally make a quick but careful review of the stacks of documents related to the plunder and malversation charges filed against three senators and 35 others, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said her office is likely to arrive at a decision on the matter sooner than she had expected.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), I had a field day going over the first batch of documentary evidence submitted by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and I assure you, you’ll be in for a surprise, it’s going to take much less (time),” she told foreign and local businessmen attending the Integrity Summit organised by the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.
Morales made the pronouncement after being asked to confirm an earlier declaration that an evaluation of the evidence by her investigators might take at least a year to finish. Their findings would be used as basis for elevating the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
Charged with plunder on Monday for allegedly misusing their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) were Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Ramon Revilla Jr and Jinggoy Estrada.
Also facing plunder and malversation of public funds were 35 others – including businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, widely believed to have orchestrated the pork barrel scam in connivance with some lawmakers and officials. PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel.
Also at yesterday’s gathering were Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan, Senate President Franklin Drilon, and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.
Morales explained that she was not setting a deadline when she stated earlier that their evaluation of evidence would take about a year. She said she was merely answering questions from reporters.
But after personally examining the documents, she said she realized the public would not have to wait very long.
Morales also urged the business community to be more vigilant and active in fighting corruption, particularly in securing business permits and licenses, saying graft and red tape discourage investments.
“Don’t just bark and bark, bite,” she said, to the applause of her audience.
“Corruption is increasingly becoming systemic. No matter how many government officials we send to jail, if the system remains uncured, the cycle of corruption will not stop,” she said in her speech.
“The ill-fated system will breed, and as you and I have witnessed, breed succeeding generations of corrupt leaders,” she said. She exhorted her audience to bear in mind Benjamin Franklin’s words that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The Philippine star
