Where the House impeachment floundered, let the Office of the Ombudsman take over?

On Monday, Tindig Pilipinas and the Akbayan Partylist, together with other citizen complainants, formally asked Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla to act on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF).

Kiko Aquino Dy of Tindig Pilipinas said they are hoping Ombudsman Remulla would initiate an investigation, noting that impeachment proceedings against the vice president are barred for one year under the Supreme Court’s rules.

“We went to the lower house; it seems they waited a long time before elevating the cases to the Senate. In the Senate, they chose not to continue the hearing,” Aquino Dy said in Filipino.

“While we wait for February, we are hoping to see if the Ombudsman can conduct an investigation within the current timeframe before February,” he added.

Recently, Duterte disclosed that the CIF was used to investigate the P2.4 billion worth of reportedly outdated and overpriced laptops procured during the term of former Education Secretary Leonor Briones.

Aquino Dy said this is one of the issues they want the Ombudsman to examine.

“We’re hoping that the Ombudsman can check if the use of CIF really went there (investigation on the procurement of laptops). Then we hope that this will be known by our countrymen,” Aquino Dy said in Filipino.