Palace hands off over Ombudsman’s withdrawal of raps vs Aquino

June 30, 2019

Malacanang has distanced itself from the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to withdraw the graft and usurpation of authority cases filed against former President Benigno Aquino III over the 2015 Mamasapano incident.

“The Palace doesn’t interfere with the other branches of the government as well as constitutional bodies,” Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement on Saturday.

Panelo said all branches of the government have their assigned constitutional functions.

“They should freely perform their given constitutional tasks without interference from anyone or entity,” he added.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires signed the motion to withdraw last June 24 the charges against Aquino before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.

He said there was no sufficient ground and evidence to charge Aquino for graft and usurpation of official functions “being then the president of the Republic of the Philippines during the time material to these cases.”

It was contrary to the findings of former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales in November 2017 that Aquino "wilfully, unlawfully and feloniously" allowed Alan Purisima, then-suspended chief of the Philippine National Police, to participate in planning the operation.

The case stemmed from the January 25, 2015 anti-terrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that resulted in the deaths of 44 members of the elite police Special Action Force when they clashed with the members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other armed groups in the area.

Aside from the SAF troopers, 18 MILF fighters and five civilians died in the encounter. Ella Dionisio/DMS