Palace: Next Ombudsman will not be beholden to Aquino

Malacañang on Tuesday assured the public that the next Ombudsman — if ever Congress succeeds in ousting current Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez — will not be beholden to President Benigno Aquino III, the appointing authority. "Yun ang ating pangako. Hindi naman tayo maglalagay ng sariling tao para matulad naman sa dating Ombudsman," said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda at a press briefing Tuesday. (We promise that the next Ombudsman is someone who'll be unlike the current Ombudsman.) He said the next Ombudsman "will prosecute the cases based on the evidence as the Ombudsman sees it." "Walang kaibigan. Makakaasa po kayo na itong magiging Ombudsman ay magiging impartial (There will be no sacred cows. The public can expect an impartial Ombudsman)," Lacierda added. Gutierrez was accused of inaction on high-profile corruption cases involving former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and members of the Arroyo family. On Tuesday, the justice committee at the House of Representatives approved the two impeachment complaints filed against Gutierrez for plenary vote.

Gutierrez, at a forum organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday, described the House justice committee as a "kangaroo court." She earlier described the impeachment proceedings as "moro-moro" (farce). Lacierda, however, said they have yet to pick a possible replacement of Gutierrez, adding that whoever the choice would be, he or she will stay true to the Aquino administration's campaign against corrupt officials, even those who are not part of the previous administration. "Hindi naman lahat ng mga nasa nakaraang administrasyon ay masama (not all in the previous administration are bad apples)—only those officials who have been identified with corruption and those who have escaped prosecution and impunity because of the protection being undertaken by some officials," he said. He said the administration’s commitment to good governance is the reason people are now coming out to testify against corruption. "The courage from which they are drawing this is from the fact that this government is committed to good governance and to reveal all the corruption that has occurred," Lacierda said. - KBK, GMA News