CEGP assails Ombudsman's inaction on graft complaint

MANILA, Philippines - The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) is disappointed over the failure of the Office of the Ombudsman to act on a graft complaint they filed three years ago against foreign affairs and central bank officials allegedly involved in the anomalous P2-billion machine readable passport and visa (MRP-V) project.

CEGP national president, Trina Melissa Federis, said the anti-graft court failed to inform them of any action taken on the graft complaint filed on April 23, 2007 against DFA Assistant Secretary Domingo Lucenario Jr., and other officials of the DFA and Bangko Sentral.

In frustration, the group wrote the Office of the Ombudsman to call its attention to the complaint. 

“More than three years have already passed but the Ombudsman has yet to take action on said complaint,” Federis said in the letter. “In fact, the CEGP has not received any acknowledgement from the Ombudsman specifically stating what course of action it will take and when it will commence its investigation on the said complaint, during the prescribed fifteen (15) days from receipt of said letter as provided for under Section 5 (a) of RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.”

In the complaint, the CEGP had questioned the government’s cancellation of a previous build-operate-transfer contract with a private firm in favor of Hologram Industries.