I am glad to know that opponents of much-maligned Philippine Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (a loyalist of the equally much-maligned and ex-Philippine Pres. Gloria Arroyo) have formally sought her ouster when they filed an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives the other day.
The complaint was lodged by former Akbayan partylist Representative Risa Hontiveros, retired military general Danilo Lim, and Felipe and Evelyn Pestano. They charged Gutierrez with betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constituion.
The complainants cited seven grounds for the impeachment of Gutierrez:
* The dismal and unconscionably low conviction rates achieved by the Office of the Ombudsman from 2008 onward, which indicates a criminal level of incompetence amounting to grave dereliction of duty;
* The unreasonable failure to take prompt and immediate action of the complaints filed against various public officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo with regard to the national broadband network deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corporation;
* The delay in conducting and concluding its investigation into the wrongful death of ensign Philip Andrew Pestano aboard a Navy Vessel 15 years ago;
* The decision of the Ombudsman upholding the legality and arrest and involuntary detention of Hontiveros in a rally in 2006;
* The failure to investigate the possible wrongdoing and impropriety of the P1-million dinner for the presidential party at the Le Cirque restaurant in New York;
* The repeated failure to take prompt action on a wide variety of cases involving official abuse and corruption; and,
* The refusal to grant ready access to public records such as the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth of public officials.
The complaint will be endorsed by Akbayan Representatives Walden Bello and Kaka Bag-ao, according to Hontiveros. She said complainants are also rallying the support of congressmen from the Liberal Party, an affiliate of Akbayan, to endorse the complaint.
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