Impeachment raps vs Ombudsman vindicates Senate
call for her resignation - Gordon

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today said the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez vindicated the Senate's call for her resignation over her apparent inaction on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon panel, said the impeachment complaint filed against the Ombudsman by former Senator Jovito Salonga came as a justification to the committee report on the fertilizer fund scam, which included the call for her resignation.

"That vindicates our position na dapat siyang mag-resign na," he said.

"No less than one of the stalwart lawyers of the country - Sen. Salonga, filed the impeachment proceedings," he added.

However, Gordon declined to further comment on the impeachment complaint because he would stand as one of the judges should the complaint reach the Senate.

"Hindi na ako makapag-comment doon pagkat pag umabot yan dito kasama tayo sa mga judges jan," he said.

An impeachment complaint was filed Monday morning at the House of Representatives against Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for her alleged "inaction and mishandling" of various cases pending before her office.

The complainants were led by Salonga and civic group Kilosbayan. It was endorsed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros Baraquel.

The complaint said the prosecution and conviction of high-ranking officials, involving huge sums of taxpayer's money, remain scarce under the watch of the incumbent Ombudsman, even as low-ranking public officials have been charged at the Sandiganbayan.

It cited as grounds for betrayal of public trust her "inaction, mishandling, or downright dismissal" of the high-profile cases such as the Mega-Pacific poll computerization, the multi-million peso fertilizer fund scam, the P6.9 million Euro Generals intelligence fund mess and the multi-billion World Bank-road projects collusive scheme.