Guingona lauds SC TRO on Garcia plea deal

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Teofisto Guingona III yesterday hailed the Supreme Court (SC) for issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the plea bargaining agreement between the Office of the Ombudsman and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

Guingona, as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, said the SC decision marked a significant step towards correcting the mistake committed by former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

He said the SC’s action was an affirmation of the recommendations made by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in its inquiry into the irregularities in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Garcia was among the high-ranking military officials said to have skimmed funds of the AFP during his stint as comptroller.

“As chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, I stand by our findings that a betrayal of public trust was committed when the plea bargain deal was entered into. The (plea bargaining agreement) has no evidentiary basis, there was lack of full restitution in favor of the government and there was lack of consent of the offended party,” Guingona said.

He maintained the plea bargaining agreement is not for the convenience of the accused but for the paramount public interest of justice.

“I trust that the plea bargaining agreement will ultimately be nullified, and I am confident that transparency, accountability and good governance will prevail,” he added.

The members of the Blue Ribbon committee questioned the agreement offered by the Office of the Ombudsman to Garcia, which tied the hands of the government in recovering the full amount allegedly stolen.

“I commend the Supreme Court for taking the first significant step in rectifying the grave irregularities committed by former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez,” Guingona said.

Sen. Francis Escudero, for his part, said the TRO sends a strong signal on the government’s campaign against graft and corruption.

“I had said then and I will say it again now that the Sandiganbayan decision on the plea bargain agreement runs counter to the ideals of good governance since it clearly offered a way out for Garcia to account for the estimated P303 million he allegedly misappropriated from the AFP funds,” Escudero said.

Escudero said the SC order also forms the backbone of the Aquino administration’s straight path initiatives by making public officials publicly accountable.

“The country’s commitment to anti-corruption efforts has already gained traction and we can uphold and pursue this if all of our institutions move in the same direction of daang matuwid,” Escudero said.

“The SC decision augurs well for the drive to rid the government of irregularities, primarily within the military establishment which has been identified in a recent Senate probe as a major source of corrupt practices,” he added.