Ombudsman aspirant to check if graft convicts are serving sentences

Should he be appointed Ombudsman, De La Salle University law school dean Jose Manuel Diokno said the first thing he will do is establish a system that will monitor whether public officials convicted of graft are indeed serving jail time. Facing the Judical and Bar Council (JBC) on Monday, Diokno said that instead of ensuring a high conviction rate, the Office of the Ombudsman should assure the public that those found guilty of misusing public funds are actually being held accountable. "How many of the top government officials convicted are actually serving their time in jail? As of this time, there is no central monitoring body that those convicted with finality by the Supreme Court actually entered prison and served jail time," Diokno said. “Until we can prove that those who are corrupt go to jail and serve their sentences, I don't think we can improve their trust in the institution," the DLSU Law School dean added. He also said information relayed to him indicated that "only about 10 percent are serving time and that accounts for the people's lack of faith. I've also been informed that almost half of those who were convicted were pardoned. Now, that says a lot about the state of accountability in our country." However, he raised a caveat that the numbers are subject to verification. Still, Diokno said that something should be done about something so "alarming." Palparan, Alcover opposses Diokno Diokno likewise addressed positions filed against his bid for the Office of the Ombudsman by retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and ANAD party-list Rep. Pastor Alcover. Palparan and Alcover doubted whether Diokno can function as independent Ombudsman because he handled clients who were "communist suspects." They added that Diokno may be biased against uniformed officers who are accused of committing human rights violations. Responding to these, Diokno told the JBC, "I think that their claim is mistaken both from a logical and factual point of view. They seem to define me by my clients, like a form of guilt by association. They don't know I've also represented officers of the Navy, Army, and the PNP [Philippine National Police]. I personally don't see that I'd be partial in terms of those kinds of cases." 4,500 graft cases resolved Before Diokno, overall deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro faced the JBC and said that he is qualified to succeed his former boss, resigned Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, whose post he assumed in acting capacity since May 9. Casimiro said that since he became acting Ombudsman, he disposed of 4,500 pending cases and filed more than 70 graft cases before the Sandiganbayan. But this was questioned by Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, the JBC's ex-officio chair, who said that Casimiro could have acted with the same dispatch when he was overall deputy and when he was acting Ombudsman whenever Gutierrez went out on official trips. "I'm trying to understand how you can review, study, analyze and decide 4,500 cases in just five weeks. What I'm trying to say is, could you not have acted with the same speed and dispatch during the previous time you were acting Ombudsman?" Corona asked. "The cases then — there's a difference between now and before, because not all the cases are given to me for disposition," Casimiro replied Chavez backs out The number of those vying to replace Gutierrez has been reduced to 26, after former Solicitor-General Francisco Chavez's withdrew from vying for the position. Chavez said that his family convinced him to pull out of the selection process to spare him of the "stress and strain that would go along with the job." "We had a long discussion until eventually, they have prevailed upon me to place myself effective today beyond contention. I told them that it will be a chance for me to serve the public gain, but they said I have already served the public for five years," Chavez told the council. "It is with deep regret that I inform the JBC that I'd like to officially pull out [of] the selection process," he added. — ELR/VS, GMA News