A party-list lawmaker yesterday urged President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III not to allocate funds for the newly-created offices headed by the officials promoted by former Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez before she resigned.

At yesterday’s Serye Café news forum at Quezon City Memorial Circle, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe said he would formally request Aquino not to appropriate funds for the new offices at the Office of the Ombudsman.

“We will write the Legal Department of  Mala-cañang not to appropriate funds for these new offices,” said Batocabe.

On the sidelines of the forum, lawyer Mauro Reyes, one of the private prosecutors in the cancelled Senate impeachment trial of Gutierrez, backed Batocabe, saying the promoted officials allegedly assumed their new posts even before the offices were created last April 15.

“Malacañang should scrutinize the new offices because the officials who were promoted assumed their posts ahead of the creation of their positions,” said Reyes, adding that he, Batocabe and their allies informed Malacañang, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, about the matter.

But Reyes was quick to say that only three of the promoted officials are purportedly the alter egos of Gutierrez and resigned Deputy Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni.

He identified the three as newly promoted Assistant Ombudsman Maribeth T. Padios of the Office of Legal Affairs; Assistant Ombudsman Elvira Chua of the Prosecution and Monitoring Bureau and Assistant Ombudsman Caezar Asuncion.

He said newly promoted Assistant Ombudsman Aleu A. Amante of the Preliminary Investigation, Administrative Adjudication and Monitoring Office; Assistant Ombudsman Marilou B. Ancheta-Mejica; Assistant Ombudsman Joselito Fangon, FIO; and Assistant Ombudsman Rolando Zoleta of the Ombudsman Luzon are career or organic personnel of the Office of the Ombudsman.