Ombudsman urges fair reporting on Marcoleta's plunder case hearings

The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday called on the media to deliver more responsible reporting after news reports allegedly created a misleading impression on the evidence presented in Senator Rodante Marcoleta's plunder case. The Ombudsman cited a media report that referenced a testimony from Ombudsman Luzon Field Investigation Bureau Director Maria Melinda Mananghaya-Henson, who said there was no episode that the three businessmen accused of giving Marcoleta P75 million had met with one another. "Part of the testimony cited in the article pertains only to specific questions on whether there was evidence that the three alleged donors had personally met or communicated with one another. Let us be very clear, there is very strong evidence on record which warranted the filing of the case," the Office of the Ombudsman said. "The ongoing hearings should be allowed to proceed without isolated portions of testimony being portrayed as determinative of the entire case," it added. The Ombudsman said court proceedings must be understood in their entirety and parts of it cannot just be taken and turned into a different narrative. It showed an original link to the newspaper article in question, the title of which now appears to be updated. — VDV, GMA News