Selective justice not forever

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has been vehement about her denial of allegations of selective justice, but decisions that the Ombudsman had issued betray her subscription to it.

The Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) case has been particularly indicting for Morales even after she included former President Noynoy Aquino among those charged.

Earlier, she merely let Noynoy off the hook in the DAP case, saying there was no basis to charge him even with the absurdly light charges of usurpation of legislative powers.

If convicted, Noynoy will likely get a fine of P1,000 and imprisonment of at least six months to six years at most instead of life imprisonment on plunder based on the original complaint.

President Rody Duterte described the Morales decision as selective indictment.

Many see Morales’ move as meant to shield Aquino and his Rasputin, former Budget Secretary Butch Abad, who was solely charged in the initial Ombudsman decision on the DAP case.

Rody said Morales only proved in her recent ruling she only went after her enemies.

“That is what’s happening and that’s the truth. Morales, you think she’s fair, but she’s only going after her enemies,” Rody said in a late speech Wednesday night.

Rody promised to reveal information about the DAP cases that Morales conveniently ignored.

“One day, I will show it to you – the DAP which she did not touch. We’ll publish it,” he said.

The DAP controversy was ignited after former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada revealed in a privilege speech “incentives” of P50 million for each senator judge in the then impeachment court to convict the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.

It was later found that a total of P6.5 billion was distributed in the Senate and the House of Representatives during the entire process of impeaching Corona to his conviction in the Senate court.

Abad then later admitted the funds came from the DAP and were released in P50 million and P100 million tranches purportedly as a stimulus fund for government projects that legislators would implement.

Earlier, Morales had imposed on Noynoy and his lackeys former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima and former Special Action Force (SAF) Commander Getulio Napeñas charges of usurpation of official functions and graft in the Mamasapano carnage of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.

The selective indictment was questioned by Solicitor General Jose Calida, who petitioned the Supreme Court to order Morales to include reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against the trio.

The light charges, if these result in conviction, would have each of the accused detained for at most six months against more than 100 years for each since they would have to account for each of the deaths of the police units in the botched mission.

Also, Morales kept quiet on the Ombudsman’s decision to terminate the charges that rabid Duterte critic Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV hurled at Rody that he kept around 1,000 ghost employees.

Morales’ excuse was she inhibited from the case and her office is not “obliged to inform the subject of the fact-finding investigation about its outcome.”

Calida, however, responded by saying Morales made a spectacle out of the start of the preliminary examination of the complaint, which included a press briefing in contrast to her complete silence when it was terminated.

Rody, nonetheless, promised things will improve as the process has started for him to pick a replacement for Morales who retires next month.

The shortlist from which Rody will choose included Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Sandiganbayan Justice Efren de la Cruz, newly appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires, and lawyers Rainier Madrid, Felito Ramirez, Rex Rico and Rey Ifurung, and Special Prosecutor and former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval.

Rody said the credentials of the candidates are unshakeable and each is more than qualified to end the reign of selective justice under Morales.