New Charges as Send-Off For Ombudsman Gutierrez's Last Day in Office

As Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez kept herself busy in her last day in office and avoided any media interaction, two groups gave her a "wonderful" send-off: charges of graft and obstruction of justice.

The members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) staged a rally outside the Office of the Ombudsman, announcing that they will be filing charges of graft and obstruction of justice before the Department of Justice on Monday. The two groups were the main complainants of the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

KMP Secretary General Danilo Ramos told media that the charges they would be filing were just their "initial offering" for the outgoing Ombudsman.

"She won't be able to escape by resigning because we need justice for the Filipino farmers," he said.

Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap also declared the same sentiments. "The resignation of Ombudsman Gutierrez should not stop truth and justice seekers and the victims of injustice of the corrupt and brutal regime of Mrs. Arroyo from pursuing the truth and from claiming justice."

Hicap announced that his group will also file criminal and administrative charges against Gutierrez for faling to act on their filed criminal and plunder cases against former President Gloria Arroyo.

The House of Representatives impeached Ombudsman Gutierrez in March 2011 after finding sufficient grounds that she betrayed the public trust by failing to act on various complaints againts former President Arroyo and the former First Gentleman, among which were the NBN-ZTE Broadband deal, the fertilizer fund scam, and the alleged purchase of P455-million ice-making machines by the Department of Agriculture.

Gutierrez vowed that she would not leave her office, as she insisted that she did nothing wrong. Until she submitted her resignation to President Benigno Aquino III on April 29, 10 days before the scheduled Senate impeachment trial against her.