The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday clarified its absence from the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing led by the Alan Peter Cayetano bloc, saying its representative was denied entry at a Senate security checkpoint.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the office had sent a representative to attend the hearing after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta criticized the agency for failing to appear.

Clavano said the representative encountered problems with the QR code required for entry after the Senate’s system failed to recognize it.

Senate personnel later offered to allow the official to enter as a guest of a senator, but the Ombudsman declined.

“When the offer was relayed to the office, there was a judgment call not to proceed, seeing that the invitation to attend was sent by the Blue Ribbon Committee Secretariat and not by a particular senator,” Clavano said.

The Ombudsman was invited to the hearing on the multibillion-peso flood control controversy. Also invited were officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, former Speaker Martin Romualdez and the so-called “Brave 18” former Marines. Only the latter attended.