Ombudsman Morales
Hindi susundin ng Office of the Ombudsman ang suspension order na ipinalabas ng Malacanang laban kay Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales na unconstitutional ang utos ng Malacanang na matagal ng pinagdesisyunan ng Korte Suprema.
“Like any government official, the Ombudsman has sworn to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land. The Ombudsman will thus not allow herself to betray her sworn duty to uphold the Constitution by recognizing what is patently unconstitutional…”
Sinabi ni Morales na batay sa desisyon ng Supreme Court en banc sa Gonzales III v. Office of the President (GR 196231, 28 January 2014) na ‘unconstitutional’ ang administrative disciplinary jurisdiction ng Pangulo sa deputy ombudsmen.
“The Ombudsman cannot, therefore, seriously place at risk the independence of the very Office which she has pledged to protect on the strength of the constitutional guarantees which the High Court has upheld.”
Sinabi ni Morales na ang preventive suspension na ipinalabas ng Palasyo ay hindi lamang unconstitutional kundi isa ring paghamak sa desisyon ng SC.
“In a society founded on the rule of law, the arbitrary disregard of a clearly worded jurisprudence coupled with a confident stance that it will be changed should never be countenanced.”
Noong Lunes, sinabi ng Malacanang na si Carandang ay sinususpendi nito ng 90 araw kaugnay ng kasong grave misconduct at grave dishonesty dahil sa pagpapalabas ng bank transaction ni Pangulong Duterte at kanyang pamilya.