FACTS:
Respondent Ombudsman subpoenaed petitioners in connection with his investigation of an anonymous letter alleging that funds representing savings from unfilled positions in the Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (EIIB).
ISSUE(S):
Whether or not there was a violation of petitioners’ right to the equal protection of the laws.
HELD:
NO. In the first place, there can be no objection to this procedure because it is provided in the Constitution itself. In the second place, it is apparent that in permitting the filing of complaints “in any form and in a manner,” the framers of the Constitution took into account the well-known reticence of the people which keep them from complaining against official wrongdoings. The Office of the Ombudsman is different from the other investigatory and prosecutory agencies of the government because those subject to its jurisdiction are public officials who, through official pressure and influence, can quash, delay or dismiss investigations held against them.
Petition is DISMISSED.
