Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano questioned Sen. Loren Legarda’s medical leave for a “serious” illness, which has been repeatedly extended amid the Office of the Ombudsman’s probe into the plunder and graft complaints against her and her son.
Clavano said that if Legarda were seriously ill, then she should have filed one medical leave for the period instead of filing a short leave that she kept on extending.
“Kung talagang meron siyang serious illness, sana isa lang po yung hiningi niya na medical leave, hindi yung pa extend-extend. And that is the only reason why the Office of the Ombudsman had to flag that type of pattern. It’s because there was already a time period stated in the travel authority, but there were several extensions,” Clavano said in a press conference.
He noted that Legarda’s leave for an overseas trip took place at the same time that her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, also flew out of the country.
“The fact that both mother and son are out of the country adds to the speculation, or adds to the suspicion of the Office of the Ombudsman,” he said.
He said the office has to flag this behavior because the complaint against them being investigated affects the lives of Filipinos.
“Yung price po ng electricity tumaas dahil sa unfulfilled promises ng franchise na iyon,” he said.
He said the Office of the Ombudsman would rather that Legarda and Leviste remain in the country so that they could clarify matters and the people would know the truth.
The Ombudsman is conducting a preliminary investigation into plunder and graft complaints against Legarda and Leviste in connection with the alleged failure of Leviste’s firms to deliver the power supply after he secured a 25-year legislative franchise to produce and sell solar energy.
The firms had reportedly incurred over P10 billion in unpaid obligations to the government arising from the terminated contracts.
Legarda is being investigated because she chaired the Senate Finance Committee when her son was granted the franchise.