Sen. Robin Padilla. Photo courtesy of Sen. Robin Padilla/Facebook.
The Office of the Ombudsman will resolve a complaint against Sen. Robin Padilla without his counter-affidavit after he failed to respond within the prescribed period, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday.
Padilla had been directed to answer allegations that he helped Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa avoid arrest in May.
Assistant Ombudsman Moreno Generoso issued the summons on June 23 and gave Padilla and the other respondents 15 non-extendible days to submit their replies to the complaint filed by Tindig Pilipinas.
The complaint also named Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and former Senate sergeant-at-arms Ma O. Aplasca as respondents.
Remulla said Padilla had not communicated with the Ombudsman regarding either the complaint or the summons after the deadline passed.
He said investigators would proceed with the resolution based on the available evidence and without Padilla’s counter-affidavit.
Cayetano submitted his response on Wednesday, while Aplasca requested additional time, which the anti-graft office granted.
The case stemmed from allegations that Padilla transported Dela Rosa out of the Senate premises on May 14 after authorities attempted to serve an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, with investigators later describing the move as a coordinated effort to avoid detection.
