Philippine Ombudsman Impeached

Philippine Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez reacts after she was impeached at the House of Representatives. (Reuters)

Philippine lawmakers made history on Tuesday when they succeeded for the first time in impeaching an Ombudsman, the country’s top anti-corruption investigator, in what is seen as just the prelude to the prosecution of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, now a congresswoman.

After more than eight hours of televised debate at the House of Representatives that went past midnight, an overwhelming number of congressmen – 212 — voted to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust. Only 95 votes or one-third of the House members were needed to impeach her. 

Gutierrez stood accused of failing to investigate allegations against Arroyo, her top generals and other officials in a series of corruption scandals involving millions of dollars.

Only 46 lawmakers, including Arroyo, dissented while four abstained. Gutierrez was an appointee and key ally of Arroyo during her term as president.

Looking downcast after the vote, Arroyo walked alone out of the House plenary hall even as many of her colleagues, including allies of President Benigno Aquino III, rejoiced and congratulated each other as the votes were announced in the early hours of Tuesday.

Former Congressswoman Risa Hontiveros, one of those who filed the impeachment complaints against Gutierrez, said the move was just the start of the campaign to bring Arroyo to justice. “If we take out the Ombudsman, then the way is clear for an even fight to prosecute Arroyo,” she said.

After her impeachment in the 258-strong House of Representatives, Gutierrez will now be tried in the 23-member Senate, which will convene itself into an impeachment court when it reopens in May following a month-long break. 

Gutierrez remained defiant after the House vote, insisting that her conscience is clear. “I have done nothing wrong,” she said.

She lambasted the lawmakers whom she accused of engaging in partisan politics. “Dark politics ruled the day,” she said.

She said she will leave her fate to the senator-judges. At least 16 senators are needed to vote for her ouster from office.

Her impeachment was warmly welcome by the Aquino government. “The House has put an end to the long era of impunity that tarnished our institutions and made a mockery of the bedrock principle of accountability enshrined in our Constitution,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“This is the glory of democracy: where the law applies to all, where scrutiny exempts no one, and where accountability is for our institutions to exact,” he added. 

The Aquino government expressed confidence that the Senate will eventually affirm the House vote and boot out Gutierrez.

The lawmakers said they have found enough evidence to have Gutierrez tried for her lack of action regarding the allegations against Arroyo, her husband and a former elections chief who were accused of benefiting from huge kickbacks from a $330 million Philippine government deal with China’s ZTE Corp. to set up a nationwide broadband network. 

The complainants also accused Gutierrez of failing to go after agricultural officials allegedly involved in a scam to divert millions of dollars in state fertilizer funds to finance the 2004 election campaign of Arroyo and her allies.