FIRED Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang was the only one to blame for his dismissal from service, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said Friday, August 3.
Panelo, in a statement issued Friday night, said the Office of the President is merely performing his duties to punish high-ranking officials who violate the laws, such as Carandang.
"In dismissing Mr. Melchor Arthur H. Carandang as Overall Deputy Ombudsman, the Office of the President was only performing its mandate pursuant to the Constitution to strictly enforce the laws and punish those who violate the same," he said.
"Mr. Carandang has no one to blame but himself and his partisan benefactors for the unfortunate situation he is currently in," he added.
Malacañang, in an order dated July 30, dismissed Carandang for publicizing confidential information about President Rodrigo Duterte and his family's bank records that contained multibillion-peso supposedly obtained from illegal activities.
Duterte's office found Carandang accountable for graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust, as the dismissed anti-graft official was "clearly only interested to broadcast an information adverse to the President."
To recall, Carandang was tasked by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales last year to look into the allegation of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that the presidential family has ill-gotten wealth.
Panelo stressed Carandang violated the law when he publicly claimed to have received documents containing alleged bank transactions of the President from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
"Disclosure of investigatory records compiled for law enforcement purposes is strictly prohibited because production of such records deprives one of a right to a fair and impartial proceeding and affects public opinion thereby creating a biased atmosphere against him," Duterte's chief legal counsel said.
"The AMLC later denied furnishing the Office of the Ombudsman with any report as a consequence of any investigation of the alleged bank accounts of the President. This confirms that the public assertion of Mr. Carandang is not only fake but is motivated by malice with the sole purpose of besmirching the reputation of the President," he added.
On August 2, Trillanes said the dismissal order against Carandang was "illegal and unconstitutional."
But Panelo justified Carandang's removal from office, saying that the latter had exhibited "manifest partiality" towards Duterte and his family.
He said Duterte's office was merely protecting the Filipinos' rights "against unjust and biased officials like Mr. Carandang."
"Contrary to the assertions of the critics of its unconstitutionality, there is nothing illegal as regards Mr. Carandang's dismissal. What is patently illegal is what Mr. Carandang did when he created a prejudiced environment against a person who he was investigating," he said.
"The fact that he is from the Office of the Ombudsman and holds a high position therein is also immaterial in light of the commitment of the Office of the President to enforce the law, which necessarily involved the principle of checks and balances, against any appointive official, regardless of rank or political viewpoint." (VoxPop Philippines)
