Party-List Bloc Endorses Impeachment Bid vs Ombudsman

Progressive party-list solons composed of House Deputy Minority Leader Satur Ocampo and Representatives Teddy Casino (Bayan Muna), Liza Maza, Luzviminda Ilagan (Gabriela) and Rafael Mariano (Anakpawis), endorsed on Tuesday the impeachment complaint filed by various groups led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga against Ombudsman Merciditas Gutierrez.

“We endorse this complaint consistent with our commitment to fight corruption in government, assert public accountability and transparency, and work for the politics of change, as we have either initiated or endorsed all the impeachment cases against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

They also criticized the “hysterical response” of Gutierrez to the complaint, saying that it “reveals her arrogance and immaturity by counter-attacking the complainants instead of welcoming the only opportunity for her to answer the charges. She has to resort to these personal attacks since she cannot refute the strong bases of the complaint.”

The lawmakers described the said complaint against Gutierrez as “sufficient in both form and substance” and is based on her alleged inaction and mishandling of dismissed graft cases against high government officials, including President Arroyo.

“The inaction, mishandling, and downright dismissal of clear cases of graft and corruption are strong bases for Salonga and the civil society groups and former Cabinet officials to lodge the impeachment complaint against Gutierrez, who has practically sat on a number of bigtime graft cases that lead to doorstep of the President, the First Family and her closest associates,” they said.

“Ombudsman Gutierrez has been instrumental in the continuing cover-up of Arroyo with her inactions and actions on the controversies contained in the complaint,” they added.

According to the lawmakers, Arroyo intentionally appointed Gutierrez to the post because “this is her preferred choice as she is a law school classmate of Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel, who has been linked to numerous corruption scandals, the most recent of which is the alleged rigging of bids for World Bank-funded road projects.”

Mariano called on Arroyo not to meddle with impeachment complaint for “fear that Ms. Arroyo would again use party whip on her allies to junk an impeachment complaint, this time against the Ombudsman.”

“As long as Gutierrez is in charge, the Ombudsman’s office will continue to be an apparatus for cover-up and scandals like the more than one billion pesos fertilizer fund scam will never reach the Sandiganbayan,” said Mariano. (pinoypress.net)