House minority wants Diokno charged despite resignation

Former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director Ernesto Diokno should still be charged for ex-Batangas Governor Jose Antonio Leviste’s caper even after the his resignation, members of the House minority said Wednesday. Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay said Diokno should not be exempted from criminal culpability after quitting his post. "His resignation does not absolve him," Magsaysay said during at a press briefing. House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, meanwhile, said Diokno, should still be held liable so that he won’t be appointed to any other post. "If one has committed an offense, his resignation can even be an admission of guilt. If there is evidence to prosecute him, his resignation should not be a cover for criminal liability," Lagman said during the same press conference. Diokno tendered his resignation on Monday, two weeks after National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested Leviste in Makati City after finding out that the high profile inmate left the national penitentiary without a pass. Justice chief Leila de Lima earlier said that Diokno was supposed to be one of the six BuCor officials who will be held liable for Leviste’s caper, but proposed administrative charges against him was rendered "moot and academic" after his resignation. [See: DOJ names prison officials liable for Leviste caper] ‘Double standards’ At the news briefing, Lagman further said that Malacañang’s move to praise Diokno’s resignation "to the high heavens" is proof of the Aquino administration’s "double standards" in holding erring officials into account. "If one has committed an offense, his resignation can even be an admission of guilt. If there is evidence to prosecute him, his resignation should not be a cover for criminal liability," he said. The House minority, in a separate statement, expressed alarm over Aquino’s tendency to "drag his feet in dealing with anomalies in his own camp or even condoning with alacrity his friends and appointees." "Hindi tuwid ang daan kung ang kalaban pag-iinitan, pero ang kakampi, kaklase at kabarilan ay papabayaan," the opposition lawmakers said. The minority members also urged their House colleagues to initiate probes on supposed anomalies involving administration officials, such as Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.’s alleged P40-million mansion and supposed irregularities in Finance chief Cesar Purisima’s tax returns. "This double standard must stop... Our people want fairness and truth, not favoritism and travesty," they said. — RSJ, GMA News