Saturday, May 14, 2011
MANILA -- The standoff between Malacañang and the Office of the Ombudsman over a dismissed deputy ended Friday when Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III was ordered to stand down.
Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro implemented a dismissal order against Gonzalez, whom Malacañang wanted out over the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident.
In a statement, the Office of the Ombudsman said Gonzalez was ordered to "cease and desist from performing official and administrative functions at the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices."
The Office of the President ordered Gonzalez dismissed on March 31 for allegedly disregarding rules of procedure set by his office.
Under the rules, appeals must be acted on within five days of filing.
Malacañang said it took Gonzalez nine months to decide on dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza's motion for reconsideration.
This supposedly prompted Mendoza to hijack a tourist bus in August last year and demand for his reinstatement. During the negotiation, Mendoza accused Gonzalez of asking P150,000 from him in exchange for a favorable decision.
The 11-hour hostage drama had left eight Chinese nationals from Hong Kong and the hostage taker dead. The incident soured the relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong.
The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday bucked the Malacañang order against Gonzalez, saying it has "disciplinary authority over all appointive officials of the government."
It said its Internal Affairs Board already investigated and acquitted Gonzales over the hostage-taking incident.
"In view of the foregoing, this office has considered the matter of DO Gonzalez' culpability in the hijacking episode as legally final and closed," it said.
Gonzalez is the third official of the Office of the Ombudsman to leave since April.
Former ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigned 10 days before her impeachment trial was set to start.
Before that, then deputy ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni resigned after being charged by a civil society group with dishonesty, grave misconduct, and falsification of documents.
"The charges leveled against me are baseless. However, in order to spare the Office of the Ombudsman from further controversy, I have tendered my irrevocable resignation," he said.