Acting Ombudsman dismisses deputy

Manila, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has finally enforced President Aquino’s order to dismiss Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices Emilio Gonzalez III from the service for negligence.

Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro yesterday directed Gonzalez to “cease and desist from performing official and administrative functions.”

In an order dated May 12, which was transmitted to the Office of the President, the ombudsman’s office said it is complying with Malacañang’s March 31 order to dismiss Gonzalez for failing to act promptly on a motion for reconsideration filed by a dismissed police officer that led to the bloody hostage-taking incident on Aug. 23 last year in Manila’s Rizal Park.

Casimiro implemented the dismissal order after receiving a memorandum from Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. directing the Office of the Ombudsman to dismiss Gonzalez.

Malacañang dismissed Gonzalez from the service more than a month ago for negligence after the mishandling of the case of former police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza.

The dismissed policeman claimed that Gonzalez demanded P150,000 from him in exchange for a favorable ruling of the motion for reconsideration he filed regarding his dismissal from the police service for extortion.

Mendoza, who was dismissed from the police force last year, commandeered a Hong Thai Travel tourist bus in Intramuros and held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipino guides for several hours in front of the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila.

The suspect, armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol, had released several hostages before the Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the Manila police assaulted the bus, resulting in the death of the hostage taker and eight tourists.

Gonzalez earlier denied the allegations of Mendoza and vowed to fight Malacañang’s order to dismiss him by filing a petition for certiorari now pending before the Supreme Court.

“I will avail (myself) of all legal remedies because I believe that my conscience is clear and I’m not guilty of the accusations leveled against me. We acted on the case of Mendoza and we will prove this in court,” he said, denying that there was inordinate delay in the handling of the former policeman’s case.