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UP prof ‘singled out’ by Ombudsman launches Facebook campaign


A retired University of the Philippines professor has brought her campaign on Facebook after prosecutors launched a probe into her supposed unauthorized use of a public vehicle one weekend four years ago. Retired UP professor Cristina Hidalgo claimed that she was being "hounded" by prosecutors after she used a car issued to her office to attend a meeting with UP alumni "to raise funds for UP," said her note posted Tuesday on her Facebook account. Hidalgo, an award-winning novelist, said that she and her driver, Emil Birgonio, was being "investigated for graft, and for dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service," citing a July 2010 order from Medwin Dizon, acting director of the Preliminary Investigation and Administrative Adjudication Bureau-A. The meeting at the Dulcinea restaurant along Tomas Morato in Quezon City was also attended by Lydia Arcellana, UP's assistant vice president for public affairs and a director of the university's Alumni Relations Office, the note said. Entitled "Why am I being hounded by the Office of the Ombudsman?" Hidalgo's note said that "[t]he Ombudsman claimed that on June 25, 2006, a Sunday, the car had been seen in front of Tonton Thai Massage on Tomas Morato Street at 3:30 PM." The associate graft investigation officers -- Peter John Arellano and Rholie Besoña -- "did not claim that they had gone inside Tonton Massage to see whether I was indeed there, or that they tried to find the driver and examine his trip ticket," Hidalgo said in the note. "They even got the time wrong," Hidalgo said in her note, gained 19 "likes" and 113 comments from her Facebook friends. "As indicated in the trip ticket earlier submitted, we left Dulcinea at 1:30 PM." The Ombudsman's investigation began in September 2006 when UP received a subpoena from its Task Force Oplan Red Plate which directed Hidalgo's driver to submit trip tickets "and all other appurtenant and relative documents authorizing the use of government vehicle with plate no. SET-536 for the period June 13-28, 2006." Signed by Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni, the subpoena contained an "ominous threat" that failure to do so within three days of receipt would merit the filing of criminal and administrative charges. Hidalgo was later given the assurance by lawyer Marvic Leonen, then University of the Philippines (UP) vice president for legal affairs and now the head of the government peace panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, that "there was nothing to worry about." In September 2006, Leonen would submit the required trip tickets and a letter with a detailed explanation of the nature of my job, Hidalgo said. "Since we did not hear from the Ombudsman again, we assumed the documents were satisfactory," Hidalgo said. But in May this year, when she retired as full-time UP professor and VP for public affairs, Hidalgo received an "order" from the PIAB-A's Dizon. After filing their counter affidavits, Hidalgo and her driver received another order dated August 9 regarding the "administrative case." "We have complied with more affidavits containing basically the same facts," Hidalgo said. However, the Office of Ombudsman denied that it is "singling out" the professor. "This is an ordinary quasi-judicial proceeding based on an affidavit filed by our Task Force Oplan Red Plate," Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. "Hidalgo was not being singled out contrary to her claim," De Jesus later added in a text message. "Our Task Force Red Plate runs after the unlawful use of government vehicles for alleged private gain or benefit." "Many have been filed as a result and the case of professor Hidalgo is just one of them. All respondents, like her, are given full opportunity to explain and we decide based on law and evidence only," the message added. "No hounding, no oppression." "At the homestretch, we will have a resolution of the case," De Jesus said. — Robert JA Basilio Jr/LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV

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