Palace execs: Merci's resignation to spare country of impeachment trauma

Malacañang officials on Thursday said Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez’s resignation would spare the country the trauma of going through a painful impeachment process. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said it is up to Gutierrez if she would heed the call of some sectors for her to resign. "Siya ang affected dito. I don’t want to preempt her or speculate on whatever she wants to do. We’ll leave it to her. She knows how difficult the situation is right now," Lacierda said. Carandang added: "But if she were to resign, it would spare the nation the trauma of having to go through a painful impeachment process." Carandang even cited US President Richard Nixon who resigned in 1974 to avoid dragging the country to a very contentious impeachment process. "So again, na kay Ombudsman Gutierrez na yan but that would certainly be much less painful to the country than an impeachment," he said. Gutierrez has insisted that she will not resign from her post. Her retirement falls in December 2012. The House of Representatives is now preparing the articles of impeachment against Gutierrez will be discussed on the plenary. In a related issue, Lacierda said Malacañang will be issuing soon a show cause order to Special Prosecutor Wendell Sulit with the receipt of the report of the House justice committee. "We have received the Justice committee resolution of (Iloilo Rep.) Neil Tupas, and we have taken that as a complaint. Very soon we will be issuing a show cause order to special Prosecutor Wendel Sulit. Again our emphasis is on the special prosecutors and the officials which the Office of the President has jurisdiction on," he said. He added the Palace would do the same once it receives the copy of the report of the Senate blue ribbon committee. The blue ribbon report had recommended the impeachment of Gutierrez as well as the dismissal and filing of administrative and criminal charges against the prosecutors involved in the plea bargain deal with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia: