Monalisa

Hole of Justice

by Peter G. Jimenea

The Office of Monalisa!

This old song Monalisa is dedicated to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez: Monalisa, Monalisa men have named you. You're so like a lady with a mystic smile. Is it only cause you're lonely men have blamed you, for that Monalisa's strangeness in your smile. Do you smile to tempt a lover Monalisa. Or is it the way to hide your broken heart. Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep, they just lie there and they die there. Are you warm, are you real Monalisa, or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.”

Omb. Gutierrez occupies one of the most powerful offices in the government of the Republic of the Philippines. She is blamed by many people for dereliction of duty yet, idolized by corrupt public officials for her silence about their sleeping cases at her office.

She posed now a big challenge to President Noynoy Aquino's battlecry; Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap. As reported, a number of officials with long-overdue cases at her office were allies or have strong connection with former Pres. Gloria Arroyo.

In Iloilo City, the 413 units of Low-Cost Housing Project of the city government for lowly employees in 2001, resulted into a white elephant. The project cost P130 million pesos yet, not even a single unit was completely built. This is official corruption of the highest Order!

This P130M project is under the stewardship of then mayor now Congressman Jerry Trenas of Iloilo City. Despite the payment of P62.5M received by the contractor and the P24.7M in loan interest paid to the bank, the housing project that started in 2001 was abandoned and totally deteriorated.

Mr. President, this expose' is what got the public so irate about. Lowly employees are most sorely tempted to steal but don't, what a shame. But this money is our money. If we don't have the balls to expose it, who will?

In fact, a violation for graft and corrupt practices act was already filed against the former mayor and some people involved in this mess over eight years ago. On why the charge-sheets are still out there sleeping at the Ombudsman's Office, only God knows.

Now Trenas is already a congressman yet we heard nothing about his case. It is also widely believed that he is now with Senator Franklin M. Drilon, who convinced him to jump ship from the Nacionalista Party to the Liberal Party, three or four days before election.

This alliance of Cong. Trenas with Sen. Drilon has created a bad public impression without affirming the perception that the Pavia Housing Scandal involving millions of taxpayers money will eventually disappear in the course of time.

Only the intervention of Congress and the president can reinvigorate our dwindling trust in the office of Monalisa ehe...este, Merceditas Gutierrez. What's more, we had already enough stories of her irresoluteness in performance of duty as Ombudsman.

Deliberate or not, this Pavia Housing scam and hundred other unresolved complaints at her office, are misconstrued to have been done in exchange for you know what. As the song Monalisa goes, these cases are just lying there and may even die there!

Perhaps she has that large propensity of watching kneeling corrupt macho-male like Gen. Carlos Garcia, the AFP Comptroller and Gen. Angelo Reyas AFP former Chief of Staff who are now in controversy for the missing millions of taxpayers' money. Observers say, what is somewhat missing in the empty lives of these people is to die with dignity!

Going back to our story, the P90M wastage of city government fund to that Pavia Housing Scam is P90M of the taxpayers' money. This mess is already a vital proof by which I can judge our former mayor and now congressman Jerry Trenas as the most despised mayor Iloilo City ever had.

It is widely believed that the number of overdue and unresolved graft and corruption cases at Omb. Gutierrez' office are already sufficient evidence for changing of name from The Office of the Ombudsman to..... see the title!