Palace welcomes Ombud probe on Duterte's son
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, May 9, welcomed the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte's son, former Davao City mayor Paolo "Pulong" Duterte, even after the case lodged against him over the P6.4billion shabu shipment has already been dismissed.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the executive branch respects the anti-graft body's jurisdiction to conduct an independent investigation on any government official, including the presidential son.
The younger Duterte resigned as vice mayor of Davao City following the controversy linking him to the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu from China.
"The Office of the Ombudsman has the power to investigate on its own and initiate proper action against public officers," Roque said in a statement.
"We see this as part of the Ombudsman’s constitutional mandate to ensure public accountability," he added.
Roque's statement came a day after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said that the younger Duterte was not yet off the hook, as he is the subject of her office's preliminary investigation.
On Tuesday, May 9, Morales confirmed that the former Davao City vice mayor is facing a "pending" probe before the Ombudsman.
Morales, who has inhibited from the cases involving the Duterte family, did not spill further details on the pending investigation against the younger Duterte.
Her revelation came just days after the Ombudsman's special factfinding panel cleared the presidential son and his brother-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio, of liability in the P6.-4-billion shabu shipment case.
Both Duterte and Caprio were accused of being behind the so-called "Davao Group," which was allegedly behind the smuggled shipments at the bureau.
On May 2, the Ombudsman's panel dismissed the allegations hurled against Duterte and Carpio for "lack of basis." PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde ordered on Wednesday, May 9, the re-assignment of his bashers to Mindanao.
Albayalde said the nine police personnel who reported to him on Tuesday, May 8, in Camp Crame as well as the two others who refused to appear despite being summoned by the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) will be assigned in several areas in the Autonomous Region in the Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
“They have been re-assigned to Sulu because Sulu lacks personnel for the maintenance of peace and security in that area,” he said.
“Their re-assignment however is not punitive and is never a form of punishment. They will be appropriately charged for conduct unbecoming of a police officer,” he added.
Earlier, Albayalde ordered the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) to identify the police officers who were badmouthing him through the Facebook page “Buhay Lespu” following the inspection he made in several police stations in Metro Manila during his stint as the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director.
During that inspection, Albayalde relieved the police officers and commanders who were caught sleeping or having a drinking session while on duty.
Albayalde said the ACG identified at least 30 police officers who bashed him. These officers were ordered to report to the DIDM office in Camp Crame.
He said these police personnel would be charged for conduct unbecoming of a police officer, which may lead to their dismissal from the police service.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the re-assignment of over 200 police officers to Mindanao due to their alleged involvement in illegal activities such as extortion and other minor violations.