An employee of the Office of the Ombudsman is currently under disciplinary investigation following a documentation mishap regarding the counter-affidavit submitted by Senator Robin Padilla, according to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
The probe comes after Remulla previously claimed that Padilla had failed to submit his response to an obstruction of justice charge within the mandated period.
Padilla promptly refuted the assertion, clarifying that he had already submitted his counter-affidavit.
Addressing the media during a press briefing on Friday, Remulla conceded that a logging failure occurred within their system and verified that Padilla had indeed filed his documentation on time.
Remulla noted that he has sent a formal letter to Padilla to clear up the misunderstanding and explained how the internal oversight happened:
“Sa receiving kasi namin dito sa Central Records, meron siyang ila-log dapat ang bawat communication. Dapat ‘yan isang tingin mo sa computer, alam mo kung kelan dumating ang bawat dokumento. Ito hindi nila ni-log, dinala kaagad sa division na nag-iinvestigate ng obstruction of justice. Hindi nilagay sa Central Records,” Remulla explained.
He emphasized the gravity of the clerical error given the nature of the institution:
“That’s a grave offense when it comes to an office like the Ombudsman’s office. Under disciplinary investigation ito,” he added.
The underlying obstruction of justice complaint against Padilla was initiated by the civil society coalition Tindig Pilipinas.
The case also implicates Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and former Senate Sergeant at Arms Mao Aplasca, alleging they aided Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in dodging an International Criminal Court arrest warrant related to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.