Worried about pension, Merci appeals to senators

In an apparent move to strengthen her next line of defense should the Lower House finally decide to impeach her, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Friday called on to senators to take a kinder look at her performance as the country’s designated top graftbuster and also to give weight to her 40 years of service. With her retirement due next year, Gutierrez appealed to senators to consider her concerns about pensions and other benefits “if this case goes to the Senate," in a rare press conference at the Office of Ombudsman, portions of which were aired over radio dzBB. It is the Senate that serves as the court that tries impeachment cases that are brought up by the Lower House. 40 years’ worth of benefits For the first time since Gutierrez became the target of impeachment moves, she admitted being worried about losing retirement benefits should the Senate decide to remove her from her post. "Just like any government worker, we look forward to our retirement. Iyon lang hintay ko. Hindi naman malaki ang suweldo namin. We look forward to our retirement benefits or yung pension na kahit matanda na ko, hindi na ako nagtatrabaho, at least I get my pension at magkaroon naman ako ng enough to sustain," she said. (Just like any government worker, we look forward to our retirement. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Our salaries are not that high. We look forward to our retirement benefits or the pension so that when I get old and no longer working, at least I get my pension and I can have enough to sustain myself.) Gutierrez, who retires in 2012 after 40 years in government service, said she has finally decided to speak out to the media about the impeachment complaints against her because she thinks she is already being demonized in the public eye. "Wala naman akong naging kaso in the past [and] in my entire service in government tapos bibigyan ako ng ganitong unfounded accusation," she said in a separate radio interview after the press conference. (I have not faced any charges in the past [and] in my entire service in government, and now I’m being subjected to this kind of unfounded accusation.) ‘Political plot’ behind impeach moves She insisted that she will finish her term as Ombudsman and will "fight to the end," adding the cases against her are "weak" anyway. The Ombudsman denied anew allegations that she was sitting on controversial cases, which are the subject of two impeachment complaints against her. The complaints were deemed sufficient in substance and in form by the House justice committee after a series of hearings. Gutierrez has repeatedly said that the impeachment complaints were driven by "politicking" and were part of a plan to unseat her. [See related: Merci on Villa-Ignacio as Ombudsman: 'Oh, God forbid!'] The current Lower House membership is dominated by perceived allies of President Benigno Aquino III, whose successful presidential campaign last year included a critical stance against then incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Gutierrez, on the other hand, is a perceived ally of Mrs. Arroyo. She and Jose Miguel Arroyo, Mrs. Arroyo’s husband, were classmates in law school. Committee chairman Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. is currently heading clarificatory hearings on the two impeachments complaints. Once the House votes in plenary in favor of impeachment, the Articles of Impeachment will be transmitted to the Senate, which will deliberate and ultimately decide whether Gutierrez is removed or not. At the Senate, only one senator – Sen. Francis Pangilinan – has so far made an explicit call for Gutierrez to resign, saying it was the "decent" thing to do because she has already "tarnished and damaged" her office. ‘The proper remedy is to go to court’ In the same interview, Gutierrez also said she saw no more need to attend the ongoing clarificatory hearings being conducted by the House justice committee. She described the proceedings as "farce" and "sham." Gutierrez said if the complainants were not satisfied in certain resolutions made by the Ombudsman in the past, they should bring it up with the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, instead of seeking her impeachment. "Ang hirap kay Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, palagi na lang sya naga-akusa na hindi namin inaaksyunan, na mali ang aming desisyon. Eh hindi niya ginagamit ang proper remedy. [The problem with Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel is that she continually accuses us of not acting on cases, that our decisions are wrong. But she isn’t using the proper remedy.] The proper remedy is to go the court, not impeach me," she said. Gutierrez assured the public that all cases pending before the Ombudsman are "tumatakbo [making steady progress]."—JV, GMA News