Ombudsman personnel rally behind Gutierrez

The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas is solidly behind embattled Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who is currently under attack by Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio over her alleged dismal performance.

More than 60 graft investigators and administrative personnel of the Ombudsman Visayas led by Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol and Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca Santiago have signed the manifesto of support for Gutierrez.

In a two-paragraph manifesto, anti-graft officials and employees in the Visayas said they “strongly recognized” the commitment and sincerity of Gutierrez to fulfill her mandate.

“We, the personnel and staff of the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, manifest our full and unconditional support to the leadership of Honorable Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez,” read the manifesto.

Gutierrez did not only find an ally with the officials and staff of its sectoral office in the Visayas but also with some members of the House of Representatives including Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Nograles has cautioned Villa-Ignacio from resorting to media attacks to discredit and publicly malign Gutierrez without any basis.

The House Speaker said that if Villa-Ignacio holds no respect on Gutierrez as head of the anti-graft body, he should at least respect the office which is leading the fight against graft and corruption.

He explained that while the “office intramural” is a day-to-day affair inside private and government offices, Villa-Ignacio has allegedly gone overboard by publicly maligning Gutierrez for reasons that can be settled in a very civil and face-to-face discussion.

North Cotabato Rep. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza also described Villa-Ignacio’s tirades against Gutierrez as “childish and ungentleman-like,” which does not sit well on his position as a special prosecutor.

Villa-Ignacio earlier claimed he is being subjected to “pure harassment” by Gutierrez when the latter gave due course to an estafa case filed against him by a former staff named Elvira Chua.

Villa-Ignacio alleged that Gutierrez has a very dismal performance in terms of prosecuting government officials and employees accused of corruption.

His accusation was, however, described by some congressmen to be fueled by his personal ambition to take her place as Ombudsman.

Based on the Sandiganbayan records, from January to July 9, 2008, the anti-graft court released its ruling on 58 cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, 11 of which got conviction while 47 were dismissed.

Of the 11 convictions, one was filed during the tenure of Ombudsman Francisco Villa, six during the time of Aniano Desierto, one during the time of Acting Ombudsman Margarito Gervacio and three under the watch of Simeon Marcelo.

Of the 47 dismissed cases, 30 were filed during the time of Desierto, five under Gervacio and 12 under Marcelo.

According to the congressmen who defended Gutierrez, it is unfair to blame her for the cases that were filed by her predecessors. — Fred P. Languido/WAB