First District Rep. Leandro Leviste on Wednesday said the Office of the Ombudsman reached out to apologize to him over its “inaccurate” video statement claiming he had provided only a limited copy of the so-called Cabral files.
“They apologized for being inaccurate with what Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano had posted because the video, I think, was perhaps a sudden decision for them to post,” Leviste told ANC’s Headstart.
In a statement issued after Leviste’s interview, Clavano said he does not want to “engage” with the lawmaker’s claim that someone from the Office of the Ombudsman apologized over an “inaccurate” video statement.
“It’s a black hole. I want to stay focused. Besides, it’s not about us,” he said.
Clavano on Dec. 29 posted a video saying Leviste was not the only person who approached the Ombudsman claiming to possess copies of the Cabral files.
The assistant ombudsman added that soft copies of documents held by third parties inherently lose evidentiary credibility, as they are susceptible to alteration, incomplete context, or manipulation.
The Batangas lawmaker, however, said Clavano was not included in his meeting with the Office of the Ombudsman, where he supposedly provided the documents.
“There are ombudsman staff who were in the meeting, and they can explain themselves on what the meeting was about,” he said.
