Ombudsman asked to reconsider dismissal of Romulo case

Former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez yesterday asked the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to dismiss the case he had filed against Senior Adviser on International Competitiveness Roberto Romulo.

Chavez had accused Romulo of numerous "conflicts of interest" as he holds several positions in private companies while sitting at a government job.

Romulo, a cousin of incumbent Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and son of the late Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, is the chairman of the board of Equitable CardNetwork Inc., Phil-Am Insurance Co. Inc. and InterPharma Investments Ltd. (Zuellig Pharma) Inc.

Chavez said he is also a member of the board of directors of A. Soriano Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Systems Standards Inc., PLDT and MIH Holdings Ltd.

The Office of the Ombudsman, however, dismissed Chavez’s complaint last Nov. 16 for "insufficiency of evidence."

In his 20-page motion for reconsideration, Chavez urged the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision, saying it was a "midnight decision issued to accommodate the respondent (Romulo)."

"It is not a secret that respondent is a sacred cow under the present administration, enjoying favorable dispensation from the principal occupant of Malacañang," Chavez said.

He also questioned the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to dismiss the complaint on the grounds of insufficiency of evidence.

"With due respect, such a ruling is not borne by the records. Complainant adduced more than an inch-thick documentary evidence consisting of articles of incorporation and general information sheets which clearly spelled out therein the primary purposes of these corporations and the sources of their funding," he said.

Chavez stressed that the entities headed by Romulo are "lobby groups" organized to influence the government to implement their advocacy.

"This is clearly spelled out in their articles of incorporation. Their lobbying efforts with the government constitute, for all intents and purposes, pending business with the government, thus giving rise to conflict of interest," he said.

Romulo’s influence in the government, according to Chavez, was clearly shown when he obtained a copy of the Ombudsman’s favorable decision on his case a day before the resignation of Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo last Nov. 30.

"Complainant had not even at that time been served with his own copies... but respondent already appeared before the media gloating over the adjudication in his favor," he said.

An official announcement, however, was still issued by "returning" Ombudsman Marcelo, who penned the Romulo decision, just before his retirement took effect on Nov. 30.

Newly appointed Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez will now have to consider Chavez’s appeal.

In filing his motion for reconsideration, Chavez said he wanted to test the integrity of Gutierrez.

"Mukhang niluto ito sa Ombudsman (It appears that this was fixed at the Office of the Ombudsman). I am hopeful that the new Ombudsman will have the correct view of the complaint," he said. — Mike Frialde