Senate panels to continue with AFP corruption probe

The Senate blue ribbon and justice and human rights committees will continue with its investigation on the alleged corruption in the military on Thursday. In a media advisory on Wednesday, the Senate panels said they will be conducting the 10th hearing on the plea bargain deal of the Office of the Ombudsman with former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia and the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday at 9 a.m. A staff of blue ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, however, told GMA News Online that Thursday's hearing will focus on the corruption scandal in the military. The staff noted that the committee has yet to confirm who will be the guest resource persons during the inquiry. The hearing was scheduled a few days after the Sandiganbayan issued a resolution saying that the anti-graft court found no reason why the deal with Garcia should not be approved. Last March, Guingona released a partial report recommending the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and the dismissal and filing of charges against the state prosecutors who entered into a plea bargaining agreement with Garcia. Garcia is facing a P303-million plunder complaint before the Sandiganbayan. But he walked free after entering into a plea bargaining agreement with the Office of the Ombudsman by pleading guilty to a lesser offense of direct bribery and violation of Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) before the Sandiganbayan's Second Division. — LBG/RSJ, GMA News