Bishops urge Aquino to appoint worthy Ombudsman successor

As they welcomed the resignation of impeached Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, Catholic bishops are also keeping an eye on President Benigno Aquino III's choice for a successor. Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo also said Gutierrez’s resignation on Friday should not stop the process of making her accountable for her alleged misdeeds. “Now is the time to watch Aquino’s seriousness to fight corruption. We’ll see who he is going to appoint as Ombudsman," said Pabillo, who chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace, in an article posted early Saturday on the CBCP news site. “She’s playing brinkmanship. We should continue to make her accountable," he said. Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. added that the embattled anti-graft body chief made the right move, noting that in the end, “the truth will always come out." For his part, activist priest Jose Dizon of Solidarity Philippines also said that the Ombudsman’s resignation only proves that the impeachment complaint against her “is strong." Dizon said the situation now lies in the hand of Aquino to realize his campaign promise to combat rampant corruption in government. “This is really a test for Aquino if he can appoint someone who will go against corrupt former government officials," Dizon said. — LBG, GMA News