Ombudsman: Impeach raps smack of politics

MANILA, Philippines – Insisting she is not sitting on high profile cases, a fuming Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Monday said the filing of the impeachment complaint against her before the House of the Representatives smacked of politics. In an interview on dzBB radio, Gutierrez questioned the timing of the complaint because her office last week ordered the filing of graft charges against former Bukidnon Rep. J.R. Nereus Acosta, Liberal Party’s vice president. Sen. Manuel Roxas II, a critic of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is president of the LP. “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]," Gutierrez said. The Ombudsman ordered the filing of graft charges last Wednesday before the Sandiganbayan against Acosta, his mother and their relative for supposedly defrauding the government of P10.5 million in public funds. On Monday, 31 individuals led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga lodged before the House of Representatives an impeachment complaint against Gutierrez over alleged inaction on several high-profile cases. In a 33-page complaint, Salonga, several lawyers and civil society leaders accused Gutierrez of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution. They said Gutierrez committed the violations in the handling of the Mega Pacific and corruption case against former Elections chair Benjamin Abalos Sr., the World Bank mess, the fertilizer fund scam, the extortion case against former Justice secretary Hernando Perez and the euro generals scandal. Gutierrez lashes back Gutierrez turned the tables on Salonga, who she said was responsible for the dismissal of “90 percent" of the cases they studied. She slammed Salonga for supposedly losing important original documents in graft cases when the former Senate president was chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government. “Nung PCGG head siya (Salonga), ang mga dokumento nawala sa Washington DC. I-explain niya at panagutan kung bakit nawala ang mga dokumentong hawak niya. Kami ay nag-file pero na-dismiss ang more than 90 percent na walang original documents. Bago siya mag-file ng complaint against me, managot muna siya at sumagot," Gutierrez said. [When he was still PCGG head, some documents were lost in Washington DC. He should explain such loss because we 90 percent of cases we studied were dismissed because of lack of original documents. Before filing a complaint against me, he should be accountable for his lapses first.] Unfazed Gutierrez, however, said her work will remain unaffected by the impeachment moves against her. “Di po ako maiisturbo at di madidistrct sa aking pagtatrabaho sa Office of the Ombudsman [The complaint will not distract me from performing my duties at the Office of the Ombudsman.]," she said. She added that she is ready to answer the complaint and that she is confident that she has not committed any lapses in her duties. “Alam po ng ating kababayan na ginagampanan natin ang katungkulan natin [The public knows that I am doing my job]," Gutierrez said. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV