MANILA: The Philippines’ top anti-corruption prosecutor on Wednesday defied an order by President Rodrigo Duterte to suspend her deputy on suspicion of leaking his bank records, accusing the Filipino leader of breaching the constitution with the demand.
Duterte has been accused by an opposition politician of unlawfully failing to disclose 211 million pesos ($4.1 million) in secret bank accounts back when he was a presidential candidate.
The 2016 complaint, which Duterte denies, was lodged with the Ombudsman, the country’s anti-graft prosecutor, which is independent of the executive.
On Monday Duterte ordered a 90 day suspension for deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for “misuse of confidential information and disclosing false information.”
Carandang had previously confirmed to media that the Ombudsman had been quietly investigating Duterte and his family’s bank transactions.
Duterte’s suspension order has sparked an open clash with the country’s anti-graft watchdog.
On Wednesday Ombudsman Conchita Morales said she would not suspend her deputy, calling Duterte’s order a violation of the constitution.
“Like any government official, the Ombudsman has sworn to uphold the constitution and the laws of the land,” Morales said in a statement.
“The Ombudsman will thus not allow herself to betray her sworn duty to uphold the constitution by recognizing what is patently unconstitutional,” she said, adding her decision was backed by legal precedent.
Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque brushed off Morales’ comment, saying administrative charges would also be filed against Carandang.
The president’s legal counsel Salvador Panelo also hinted that they would take the suspension dispute to court.
The row is the latest development in a growing conflict between the Ombudsman and the controversial Duterte who took office in mid-2016.
Morales and Carandang are seen by Duterte critics as among the few public figures standing up to the firebrand populist who has been accused of eroding the country’s democracy through his declaring martial law in the southern Philippines and his bloody anti-drug campaign that has left thousands dead.
Last year Duterte repeatedly threatened to have the Ombudsman ousted and pro-Duterte groups later filed an impeachment complaint against Morales in Congress.
Other public figures who have resisted Duterte, such as Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, are also facing impeachment complaints or been forced out of office.
Philippine anti-graft chief defies Duterte suspension order
Philippine anti-graft chief defies Duterte suspension order
Attacks on Sudan health care facilities killed 69 this year: WHO
- “Five attacks on health care have already been recorded in Sudan, killing 69 people and injuring 49,” WHO chief wrote on X
- The WHO has confirmed at least 206 attacks on health care facilities since the start of the war
CAIRO: Five attacks on health care facilities have killed dozens of people in Sudan since the beginning of the year, the WHO said Saturday, as the war nears the start of its fourth year.
The fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has dismantled an already fragile medical system, with more than a third of facilities currently out of service.
“During the first 50 days of 2026, five attacks on health care have already been recorded in Sudan, killing 69 people and injuring 49,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
On Sunday a hospital was targeted in the southeastern state of Sennar, leaving three patients dead and seven people wounded, including an employee, Tedros said.
In three other attacks early this month, more than 30 people were killed when medical centers were targeted in South Kordofan, a vast region south of the capital Khartoum that is currently a focus of the fighting.
The WHO has confirmed at least 206 attacks on health care facilities since the start of the war in April 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 2,000 people and injuries to several hundred.
Last year alone, 65 attacks killed more than 1,620 people, accounting for 80 percent of all deaths worldwide linked to attacks on the medical sector, according to the WHO.
Since it broke out, Sudan’s civil war has killed tens of thousands of people and forced 11 million to flee their homes, triggering what the UN says is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
According to the WHO, the country is facing multiple disease outbreaks, notably cholera, malaria, dengue and measles, in addition to malnutrition.
Some 4.2 million cases of acute malnutrition are expected to arise in Sudan this year, including more than 800,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition, the WHO chief said earlier this month.
Around 33 million people will be left without humanitarian aid in 2026, with the United Nations warning in January that its aid stocks could run out by the end of March.
