MANILA, Philippines - Dapat sumunod at hindi sumuway ang Office of the Ombudsman bilang Constitutional body, sa kautusan ng Malacanang na sibakin sa puwesto si Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III.
Ito ang opinion ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, na aniya, sa ilalim ng Section 8, item 2 ng Ombudsman Act of 1989, “(2) A Deputy or the Special Prosecutor, may be removed from office by the President for any of the grounds provided for the removal of the Ombudsman, and after due process.”
“I don’t think they can defy that. I mean, a constitutional body like the Office of the Ombudsman must be the first really to respect lawful orders from other authorities. It is very clear that (Office of the President) has the power to dismiss a deputy ombudsman and the special prosecutors on the same grounds as impeachment... that is very clear, that is beyond dispute,” ani De Lima.
Una nang napaulat ang pagsibak ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III kay Gonzales kaugnay sa mishandling umano ng kaso ng hostage-taker na si dating Sr. Inspector Rolando Mendoza batay sa rekomendasyon ng Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) sa Quirino Grandstand.
Sagot naman ni Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, inabsuwelto na ng isang internal investigating committee si Gonzales, hinggil sa umano’y kapabayaan sa kaso ni Mendoza, kaya’t hindi na ito maaari pang i-dismiss.