A Song for Monalisa

 

Hole of Justice

by Peter G. Jimenea

A song for Monalisa

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is actually the one referred hereto as Monalisa, a song based on a legendary painting of a beautiful lady admired by hundreds of men who brought their dreams at her doorstep, each hoping to be the lucky guy.

It was a misfortune for those hundred of dreams lying there at the doorstep of Monalisa as they only die there without getting a sort of attention. The story of Monalisa resembles that of Omb. Gutierrez, whose office has recorded plenty of graft cases received but most may have died unattended/

We also have our own story of this mess in the Iloilo City Low-Cost Housing Project at Pavia, Iloilo. It started in 2001 with a P120M for 413 units of houses intended for City Hall lowly employees. Unfortunately, it ended a “white elephant” in 2009, before Mayor Trenas stepped down without even a unit completely built.

A case was filed with the Ombudsman Office against the then mayor and few city officials about six years ago. But it just slept there without any result to date. This is what got us so disgusted about!

An employee at the office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City, claim that Monalisa... ehe, este Omb. Gutierrez took the case folder of that Housing Scam on the premise that she will review it personally. True, that was a review-in-eternity as she and Mayor Trenas are said to be classmates in the Ateneo Law School a decade ago!

Omb. Gutierrez, has also that strong personality and fighting spirit. Even her mere signature is feared by local officials who are required by law to file statements of assets and liabilities. Her arrogance, too, is noted during the Senate hearing on the (sweetheart?) deal entered into by her office with AFP Gen. Carlos Garcia over the latter's plunder case.

But not until recently when she met a legislator from Barotac Viejo of the Fifth District of Iloilo. He is Cong. Niel “Junjun” Tupas, Jr. Look, even before the hearing starts for her impeachment , Monalisa is already badly beaten by her looks. Her will to fight is there but the spirit is nowhere!

Why? The Supreme Court (SC) in a majority voting of 7-5 junks the petition of Omb. Gutierrez seeking to declare unconstitutional the impeachment proceeding against her by the justice committee of the Lower House chaired by Cong. Tupas, Jr.

Her petition claimed that the House Justice Committee's decision to simultaneously take up two impeachment complaints filed separately by leftist and civil society groups against her, violated a constitutional provision that bans the filing of more than one impeachment case against a public official within a year.


Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros, rebel officer Danilo Lim and the parents of the late Ensign Phillip Pestano, filed the first complaint on July 22, 2010, for her failure to correctly decide on the cases of the ZTE deal with the Arroyo administration


On Aug. 3, 2010, Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. also filed a complaint against Omb. Gutierrez over her failure to go after Jocjoc Bolante and other people behind the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.


Beleaguered, Omb. Gutierrez may have thought of finding an ally in Mr. Midas Marquez, the SC spokesman. But she was badly disillusioned because Midas, her supposed ally, has a Midas touch in reverse - the decision did not turn into gold but a disgrace!


Marquez said that in its review, the high court found that the House justice committee did not infringe on the Constitution because the two complaints against Omb. Gutierrez were referred to it “at the same time.”


Majority of the Justices in this case said that although there were two complaints referred to it, the House Committee on Justice was only working on one impeachment proceeding by citing the first case. This sends a strong signal that her end is near.


Omb. Monalisa...ehe, este Gutierrez' impeachment is inevitable. So if I may suggest, the song “My Way” should be her marching theme on the way out. True, friends are tested by adversity. Now the tragedy is not to go - but having no one to remember you!