P-NOY WENT SARCASTIC: ADMITS `WAR`(bakbakan) W/ OMBUDSMAN GUTIERREZ
MANILA, APRIL 14, 2011 (TIMES) (PhotoPresident Benigno S. Aquino III gestures as he addresses the 10th Student Catholic Action of the Philippines (SCAP) National Leadership Conference at the Fleur-de-lis Auditorium of the St. Paul University in Manila on Monday (April 11 )Photo by: Benhur Arcayan/ Malacanang Photo Bureau)
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd on Monday went sarcastic with Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, disparaging an apparent success of the country's chief graftbuster in recovering part of allegedly ill-gotten wealth amassed by a former comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
He stepped up his biting remarks by telling the 10th National Leadership Conference of the Student Catholic Action of the Philippines that he was in a big fight with Gutierrez.
"May bakbakan kami ngayon sa Ombudsman [We are at war with the Ombudsman]," President Aquino said, citing one reason why he is the case of former military comptroller and now retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.
The President reproached Gutierrez for saying that the government did not have a strong case of plunder against Garcia, despite the former Armed Forces comptroller having allegedly piled up a total of more than P300 million during his stay in the military.
With the case being supposedly weak, Mr. Aquino said, the Ombudsman went on to allow Garcia enter into a plea bargaining agreement with government prosecutors.
Under the deal, the President noted, the former military comptroller will return only P130 million of the more than P300 million he allegedly stole from the Armed Forces.
"Isipin po ninyo, nagkaroon ng plea bargain, isosoli niya hindi man lang kalahati nung sinasabing hindi sa kanya, dapat pa tayong magpasalamat sa kanya? Dapat pa tayong magpasalamat dun sa Ombudsman na nakabawi tayo ng P130 million [Think about it, there was the plea bargaining agreement, Garcia will return not even half of what is said not to belong to him, we have to thank Gutierrez for that? We also have to thank the Ombudsman that we were able to recover P130 million from Garcia]?" Mr. Aquino said.
"Pag ikaw ba ninakawan, ibabalik sa iyo di pa kalahati, ang sagot mo ba doon [Say, you have been robbed, the thief will give back to you not even half of what was stolen from you, will your answer be] 'Thank you?'" the President added.
The plea bargaining agreement that the Office of the Ombudsman entered into with the former Armed Forces comptroller also allowed Garcia to plead guilty to the lesser offense of indirect bribery in exchange for his temporary liberty.
Garcia was detained in 2004 on perjury and plunder charges for allegedly amassing the more than P300 million.
He was released from detention after he posted a P60,000-bail. Gutierrez is equally embattled, with her impeachment trial at the Senate to start next month.
Mr. Aquino had publicly stated that he wanted her removed as Ombudsman, a wish that his allies in the House of Representatives recently granted by voting overwhelmingly to impeach her.
Gutierrez is facing six Articles of Impeachment, against which she was reported ready to confront with the help of at least 100 witnesses. Cris G. Odronia
----------------------------------------------------------
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
