In a press conference embattled Ombudsman asked for fairness in the upcoming impeachment case to be heard in the Senate. She said that the cases against her and her office are weak because they really did not look at the history and timelines of the cases. Law is a process and the Ombudsman follows this process.
Asked on the case of General Garcia, she said that the former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and Special Prosecutor Villaignacio are the ones to be faulted because they had filed a weak case. Further they misinformed President Aquino on the true nature of what was filed. A demurer was never filed. They basically misled the President into believing that the Office of the Ombudsman, the institution is graft ridden and protectors of corrupt people. The disinformation campaign launched against us led to where we are now.
Marcelo and Villa-ignacio were found to have lied by the Sandiganbayan. Hence, they had to issue their public apologies. In fact the Ombudsman under her went into the plea bargaining agreement option in order to get back something for the Philippines. Otherwise, based on the case that Marcelo filed with the Sandiganbayan, we would have lost everything.
Gutierrez did not want to comment on insinuations that Congressmen were getting back at her for the cases that have been filed against them by their constituents with the Office of the Ombudsman. She however cited that the case of former Governor Neil Tupas Sr. regarding irregularities in the construction of the Iloilo International Airport is now with the Sandiganbayan. I hope the Senate will be more fair in hearing the impeachment case.
She denied that she is the gatekeeper of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that the Deputy Ombudsmen were not appointed by the former President. The problem lies in the process of law and our legal system because it is perceived to be slow. However, it is a system that ensures the rights of everybody and usually that takes time. She stated that anybody can come to the Ombudsman and file cases against erring officials for as long as they have enough evidence. We will help them with these cases if they have evidence. That is our duty.
On whether she watched the whole proceeding last night, she said that she only watched parts of it but her lawyers, Atty. Anacleto Diaz and former Justice Secretary Serafin Cuevas watched through the 8 hours of the proceedings. However she already expected that the House Resolution would be passed because of the pressure that were put on them. On a question whether the former President called her, she just said in tagalog: “Kayo naman palaging ganyan ang tanong niyo” and answered that she did not talk to her.
I am saddened by this whole affair after having served the government for almost 40 years. At least the Senate will be fair in the hearings. At least that is my hope. Asked whether she will be going on leave during the trial, she said she did not see the need to do so.
As of this reporting, the family of the Ombudsman has experienced mixed feelings most specially in light of one of her daughters passing the bar exams.
San Lorenzo Village Monitor 