THE Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Wednesday slammed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and vowed to file an impeachment complaint against her for absolving former President Benigno Aquino III in the massacre of 44 members of the Special Action Force in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on Jan. 25, 2015.
Group founding chairman Dante Jimenez asked why Aquino was “removed” from the list of the people charged in the case before the Ombudsman.
“Based on the records of the Board of Inquiry of the Philippine National Police, Aquino was culpable,” Jimenez told reporters.
“Even the Senate inquiry has recommended the filing of charges against Aquino.”
Jimenez said Morales wanted to block alleged pork-barrel-scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles from becoming a state witness against the lawmakers who misused their Priority Development Assistance Fund to ghost foundations to cover up the possible involvement of Aquino in the scam.
In January, Ferdinand Topacio, VACC legal counsel, accepted the challenge of Morales that the group impeach her and said the group, along with ex-Negros Occidental representative Jacinto Paras, would prepare a comprehensive complaint within 15 days or until Jan. 26.
Paras said they were now consolidating the other complaints and incorporating them into one solid impeachment complaint and would be filing it “very soon.”
He said they were carefully looking into the form and substance of the complaint before its filing.
“Originally, the parents and relatives of the other slain SAF troopers were not included as complainants. Now they will join us in the filing. That is why we are revising the complaint,” Topacio said.
At least 30 lawmakers have backed the filing of the complaint, he said, adding many of them had requested not to sign or be identified ahead of time for fear of reprisal.
“Those voting for Morales’ impeachment are facing graft and corruption charges. They raised the concern that if they were identified as early as now, the Ombudsman would swiftly act on their cases,” Topacio said.
“Do you know how powerful the Ombudsman is?”
Paras said Morales violated the 1987 Constitution and committed inordinate delays in resolving the cases at the Ombudsman and betrayal of the public trust “tantamount to tyrannical abuse of power.”
“Many cases filed by the Ombudsman have been dismissed by the Sandiganbayan not because of lack of merit but because of inordinate delays,” he said.
As far as Jimenez and the kin of the slain SAF members were concerned, they wanted Morales to resign.
“It’s been two years since my son, PO2 Nicky Nacino, was killed in the Mamasapano clash. Still, we have not yet attained justice,” Felicitas Nacino said.
“We call on Morales to resign.”
Said Jimenez: “You could easily see the partiality of Morales when she vowed to do all just to block Napoles to turn into a state witness. Here is an Ombudsman talking and talking and talking left and right.
“You are biased. Better resign.”
Jimenez said Morales was “trying to protect Aquino.”
“Are you afraid that Napoles would drop the name of Aquino?” he said.
The VACC blames Aquino for authorizing then PNP chief Alan Purisima, despite his suspension, to give ex-SAF police director Getulio Napeñas the green light to conduct an operation to serve the arrest warrant on Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, or Marwan, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on Jan. 25, 2015. That resulted in the death of the 44 SAF men when they clashed with the Muslim rebels.
