Gutierrez: I’ll be merciless

Newly appointed Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez vowed yesterday to be "merciless" against corrupt government officials.

In an interview minutes before she took her oath of office before Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. at the Supreme Court session hall, Gutierrez warned government officials not to dare to engage in corruption while she is at the helm of the anti-graft body.

"I will give mercy to people who should not be charged. But there will be no mercy for people who should be charged," Gutierrez said.

The government’s chief graft-buster said that she will not spare anyone as long as there is sufficient evidence to file a case in court.

Gutierrez’s first order of business is to study the cases before the Office of the Ombudsman, including the $2-million bribery case against former justice secretary Hernando Perez, the fertilizer fund scam and the graft case against Commission on Elections officials over the P1.2-billion poll automation deal scrapped by the Supreme Court.

"We will see what (is) the evidence... We will study the cases very carefully. That will be our guiding principle in the Office of the Ombudsman," Gutierrez said.

"I will do my job because I owe it to the people. Let me do my job first to prove my worth. I will try my best," she added.

Politics will also take a backseat during her term as Ombudsman, she said.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez’s appointment as the country’s first woman Ombudsman has generated varied reactions from several sectors in Bataan.

"No matter what they say about circumstances behind her appointment, Gutierrez’s achievement will be part of the country’s history," Samal Mayor Rolando Tigas told The STAR yesterday.

A native of Samal, Gutierrez is the daughter of the late Bataan Vice Gov. Rufino Navarro.

The town of Samal gained prominence a few years back as the lair of communist insurgents. The appointment of Gutierrez could erase the negative image attached to the municipality, Tigas said.

Jonie Capalaran, correspondent of Pilipino STAR Ngayon in Bataan, said Gutierrez’s great admiration for her late father influenced her to pursue a career in public service. She has received the Woman of Distinction and Dangal ng Samal Awards.

Lawmakers also welcomed her appointment as Ombudsman as they challenged her to lead the effort in making the government graft-free.

Eastern Samar Rep. Marcelino Libanan, vice chairman of the House committee on justice, and Zamboanga del Sur Isidro Real Jr., vice chair of the committee on good government, said the elimination of graft remains the biggest challenge to the pursuit of good governance.

The two politicians said Gutierrez should broaden the programs of her predecessor and heed the recommendations of Tony Kwok, former head of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), who collaborated with the Philippine government in crafting programs aimed at making government less susceptible to corruption.

Gutierrez will serve a fixed term of seven years and has vowed to resolve all pending cases before the anti-graft body during that time.

She is the fourth person to hold the position since the Office of the Ombudsman was created in 1987 to serve as a watchdog of government officials and employees. Her predecessors are Simeon Marcelo, Conrado Vasquez and Aniano Desierto. — With Raffy Viray