Pia: "Heads should roll at Ombudsman's office"

Senator Pia S. Cayetano today said the Arroyo government should not take lightly the latest blunder of the Office of the Ombudsman which resulted in the dismissal of robbery and graft charges against former justice secretary Hernando Perez at the Sandiganbayan.

"President Arroyo must not tolerate the latest foul-up committed by the Office of the Ombudsman. Its officers should be made accountable, and I am simply shocked at the blatant display of incompetence by the agency that was precisely mandated to fight corruption in government."

"I believe sanctions are in order and heads should roll. President Arroyo should put his foot down lest she be suspected of deliberately protecting a very close political ally in Perez," she stressed.

"It's highly suspicious how a high-profile case like this would not go through the normal process of being evaluated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor which will argue the case before the Sandiganbayan."

"It's a basic lapse, yet a big slap on the crusade against good governance."

She said prosecutors at the Ombudsman who prepared the defective charge sheet against Perez, including Assistant Special Prosecutor Elvira Chua, should be made to answer. Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should also be investigated by virtue of command responsibility.

"Nothing prevents the justice committee of the Senate from looking into this matter in aid of legislation, because with the entire justice system in question, who else can the people trust to uphold good governance under the Arroyo administration?