By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Sen. Loren Legarda has pushed back hard against the Office of the Ombudsman after an official described her repeated medical leave extensions as “quite suspicious,” insisting that she has followed Senate rules and has done nothing wrong.
Legarda’s sharp response came Tuesday after Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano questioned the senator’s repeated requests for additional medical leave, amid her continued absence from Senate sessions and the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Neither I nor anyone else deserves to be subjected to unfounded accusations over the exercise of one’s legal rights. I have committed absolutely no wrongdoing,” Legarda said.
Clavano earlier said it was “quite suspicious” that Legarda had repeatedly extended her leave on medical grounds. He said the senator appeared to have already sought a third or fourth extension.
Legarda first filed medical leave covering Aug. 3 to 5. She subsequently sought another leave for Aug. 11 to 12, followed by another request covering Aug. 17 to 19.
The senator has been absent from both Senate sessions and Duterte’s impeachment proceedings since Aug. 3.
Legarda left the country on Aug. 2 with her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, traveling through Hong Kong before heading to France.
But Legarda rejected any suggestion that the timing or frequency of her leave requests amounted to evidence of wrongdoing.
She urged the public to look closely at the circumstances surrounding the allegations, particularly what she described as their “timing and nature.”
“I remain confident that once the facts come out, we will be vindicated,” she said.
The veteran senator also invoked her decades-long public record, saying she has served the country with dedication and integrity for more than 30 years.
Legarda said she would not allow allegations she considers unfounded to besmirch her record in public service.
The Ombudsman’s remarks come as Legarda, Leviste and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi face a preliminary investigation for alleged graft and plunder involving supposed ghost solar projects reportedly valued at more than P10 billion.
The controversy over Legarda’s medical leave has now become intertwined with the wider Ombudsman investigation, while the senator remains adamant that her absence is covered by Senate rules and that accusations against her should not be treated as proof of wrongdoing.
For Legarda, the issue is clear: a lawful medical leave should not be transformed into an accusation of guilt without evidence.
ia/xf
