Mayors, cops, Air Force men in ‘Red-plate’ Ombudsman probe
An all-star cast of characters made it in the official list of suspected violators in the government’s intensified drive against mis-use of government vehicles.
This, as Western Visayas mayors, vice mayors, provincial board members topped the subjects of an ongoing fact-finding probe by the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas.
Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago released the summarized list of apprehension with at least 20 local government units in the “arrested/sighted” report. Not far behind are major government agencies and yes, even members of the police and the military.
Dubbed “O-plan Red Plate,” Negros Occidental recorded the most number of reported violators with 30 active fact-finding investigations here. Iloilo City Ombudsman team reported 13 sightings to date with questions on travels made by two government ambulances and government-issued cars to the municipal governments of Pavia and Panay, Capiz.
Ombudsman Santiago said most of the sightings were in the parking lots and vicinity of city’s malls and restaurants.
The News Today (TNT) in a report gathered that sightings made on a police car, that of the Philippine Army, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) here were all in the area with a nearby bar. It was also a late-night sighting.
As such, with the Office of the Ombudsman now taking the lead in the campaign, the simultaneous operations throughout Western Visayas got investigators busy with fact-finding probe literally “left and right.”
Santiago clarified though that corresponding validation is still being done on the information and tips gathered. To help further the Ombudsman hotline, the lady graftbuster gave out her mobile phone number.
To note, most of the acted referrals on O-Plan Red Plate came from anonymous texters.
“A very simple case,” Santiago said of the administrative charges that will be filed against the violators. Penalty includes reprimand, “the lowest form,” and suspension of 1 month minimum to 6 months maximum.
If the violations are blatant and perceived wastage to government funds are significantly high, criminal raps will be pursued, Santiago said citing malversation of public funds as the possible charge.
Fact-finding investigation is likewise ongoing with all 14 sightings in Aklan being verified, the list here involving 5 from local government units and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) vehicle here.
In Antique, topping the list is a suspected unauthorized trip of a vehicle issued to the Office of the Vice Mayor in San Jose town.
Iloilo province on the other hand had verification underway for a government vehicle under the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), an army vehicle, the Air Force and the vehicle issued to the Municipality of Miag-ao, Iloilo.