The undersecretary from the Department of Justice (DOJ) is on leave until Friday, acting Justice Secretary Frederick Vida, said when asked about the status of the official after his name was dragged as a ‘bag man’ by resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co.
‘Undersecretary [Jose R.] Cadiz remains to be one of the undersecretaries of the department,’ Vida told reporters, explaining that he allowed Cadiz’ leave application from Nov. 21 to 28.
‘He will be back on Dec. 1,’ Vida said adding that Cadiz has no intention to leave the country.
‘has no application for travel authority,’ he said in Filipino.
‘Until today, he is not involved in any of the ongoing DOJ investigation relative to the flood control issues,’ he added.
Zaldy Co mentioned Cadiz in his series of video statements. Co said he received orders from former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to deliver kickbacks from the flood control projects to Cadiz.
Vida allayed fears of potential conflict of interest and assured the public that the DOJ’s investigation into the flood control mess would proceed without any hindrance or influence.
‘We will maintain the independence. We will maintain our resolute conviction and belief that we need to bring this to an end,’ he said, emphasizing the evidence-based nature of the probe.