Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano expressed his doubts about the supposed “serious illness” of Senator Loren Legarda in light of the senator’s decision to repeatedly extend her medical leave rather than filing a single, extensive leave.

“Well, if she really had a serious illness, one would think that she would ask for a single medical leave rather than repeatedly extending,” Clavano said. “That is the only reason why the Office of the Ombudsman had to flag that type of pattern.”

The official noted that another factor that the anti-graft body found “suspicious” in the extensions was the fact that there was a specific period that was previously stated in the travel authority that Legarda filed.

Notably, her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, had also sought a nearly two-month-long travel authority, which began from 26 July to 24 September, to travel to various countries.

Both Legarda and Leviste are currently involved in a case of plunder and graft that is undergoing a preliminary investigation at the Office of the Ombudsman, linked to the solar power companies of the congressman.

“The fact that both mother and son are out of the country adds to the speculation or adds to the suspicion of the Office of the Ombudsman,” Clavano mentioned.

Doubling down on his point, the assistant ombudsman expressed that the officials had the burden of defending themselves concerning the allegations, underscoring how the issue affected the public.

“The price of electricity rose because of the unfulfilled promises of the franchises, and a lot of the allocations for solar power was given to this company and yet they did not do it,” he said.

“So now, the public is feeling the struggle and the surge in electricity prices,” he added.

Given the circumstances and the issues being tackled, Clavano said that he hoped for the Ombudsman as well as the public to “have a say” when it came to Legarda and Leviste traveling out of the country.

He reiterated that the officials had the obligation to give clarity to what happened to the millions of funds allocated to the companies.

“It’s really very suspicious that they are there and we have a case here that they have to answer, they need to appear, and that’s the time that they left the country,” he explained.

‘Medical leave in accordance with Senate rules’

In response to the accusations, Legarda said that the claims that she violated any law were baseless and were simply meant to “trample” her “unblemished” record of public service.

The senator maintained that the medical leave she sought was well within Senate rules and that she had committed no wrongdoing in seeking such privileges.

“Neither I nor anyone else deserves to be subjected to unfounded accusations over the exercise of one’s legal rights,” she said in a statement on 18 August.

Legarda urged the public to be more discerning when it came to the allegations, particularly when it came to the “timing and nature” of the charges, believing that the facts would ultimately clear her name.

“I remain confident that once the facts come out, we will be vindicated,” she expressed.

Leviste, on the other hand, has yet to issue an official response on the issue.