The Philippine Online Chronicles

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After several groups threated to bring impeachment raps against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in the past weeks, an impeachment complaint was indeed filed against the Ombudsman early Monday morning, 2 March 2009.

The complaint was brought by a group led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga and the civic group Kilosbayan, says ABS-CBNNews.com. The group numbered some thirty-one civil society leaders, including private lawyers and former government officials, adds GMANews.tv. The complaint accused Gutierrez of betrayal of the public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution through inaction on or mishandling of high-profile cases brought before her office.

Akbayan Party-List Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel endorsed the complaint to the Office of the House Secretary, and added that Camarines Norte Representative Liwayway Vinzons-Chato would also be endorsing the complaint.

Gutierrez has been subjected to calls to resign her post in view of perceived inaction on high-profile anomalies such as the multi-million fertilizer fund scandal and the alleged rigging of the bidding for World Bank-funded projects. The fact that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo was her former law-school classmate at Ateneo has not helped matters either. The previous week, former Kilosbayan representative Nereus Acosta had said that an impeachment case against Gutierrez was in the works, according to Manila Standard Today.


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In reply, Gutierrez asserted: "Ako po ay gumaganap sa aking tungkulin at ako po ay napopolitika at latest na na-file-an namin ay si Congressman Acosta [I am doing my job and I am a victim of politics because the latest we filed charges against was Congressman Acosta]." She added that she is confident that she has not committed any lapses in her duties and that the complaint would not distract her from doing her job.

The Office of the Ombudsman had just recently recommended charging Acosta and his mother and aunt for graft, notes Inquirer.net.


Photo of Akbayan Representative Riza Hontiveros (middle) leading the Labor Day 2008 rally, by karasantos on flickr; licensed under Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA-2.0.