MANILA – Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales stood pat with her office’s decision to indict former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in relation to the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) scam.
In an ambush interview with the media on Thursday, the outgoing Ombudsman said the usurpation of legislative powers charge filed against Aquino before the Sandiganbayan was based on evidence.
“Our office went by the evidence in deciding to file the case against the former president,” Carpio-Morales said after attending an event at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
She added, “Anyone who thinks that my office’s decision to file usurpation of legislative powers against the former president is wrong or too lenient have the option to question it.”
The Ombudsman on Wednesday said Aquino and former Department of Budget and Management secretary Florencio Abad will be charged for unlawful realignment of government savings by virtue of National Budget Circular No. 541.
Meanwhile, Liberal Party (LP) said in a statement that Aquino will prove his innocence, asserting that the former president did not commit any illegal act before all courts and until the very end of the process.
“[Aquino] will respect the process, as he expects that his reasoning be also given due course,” the LP said. “DAP was created with the intention to deliver the services and infrastructure needed by the people and guided by the laws available to the executive.”
If found guilty, Aquino and Abad will be penalized with prision correccional in its minimum period and temporary special disqualification, under the Article 239 of the Revised Penal Code./PN
