The Office of the Ombudsman sought to clear air on its absence from the Senator Alan Peter Cayetano-bloc led Blue Ribbon Committee hearing held on Thursday, 5 June, noting that their official was “denied entry” at the security checkpoint at the Senate.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano noted that they had sent out a representative to attend the proceeding, addressing the statements of Senator Rodante Marcoleta who said that the investigative body’s absence showed a lack of respect for their committee.

“Wala po sila, ngayon ang ibig sabihin nito ay ayaw nilang igalang ang patawag ng komiteng ito,” Marcoleta said as part of his opening statement of the Blue Ribbon’s session.

(They are not here, this just means that they do not respect the calls of this committee)

Clavano explained that their representative had an issue when it came to the QR code which was typically presented in order to enter Senate premises, noting that the automated system had declined the said code.

The assistant ombudsman further noted that their official had received an offer to enter the premises as a “guest” of the Senators attending the hearing, a proposal they ultimately decided to deny.

“When the offer was relayed to the office, there was a judgment call to no longer to proceed seeing that the invitation to attend was sent by the Blue Ribbon Committee Secretariat and not by a particular senator,” he explained in a statement.

The Ombudsman was invited to the session as the Cayetano bloc re-opened discussions into the multibillion peso flood control scandal.

As part of the said probe, officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), former speaker Martin Romualdez, and the supposed 18 former marines were also tapped as resource persons.

Among all parties mentioned, it was only the so-called “Brave 18” that were present as they detailed their supposed deliveries of cash contained in luggages to various public officials in the government.

The allegations ranged from representatives of local government units, executive officials, and even a clergy member.

Much of the information relayed had been contested by the names mentioned, receiving stern criticism and being labeled as “politicking” efforts.

Amid push back from newly-elected Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian, Cayetano has mentioned that they would be conducting further hearings on the topic.