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 only a misfortune for the hundred of dreams at the doorstep of Monalisa as they just lie there and die there without seeing the dawn. The story of Monalisa resembles Ombudsman Gutierrez, whose lot of graft cases in office were believed to have died unattended.

We have also our mess in the Iloilo City Low-Cost Housing Project at Pavia, Iloilo. It started in 2001 with a P120M loan for 413 units of houses for lowly City Hall employees, unfortunately, not even a unit was completely built. The project that started in 2001, ended a "white elephant" and has totally deteriorated in 2009.

A case was filed with the Office of the Ombudsman against the then mayor and few city officials about seven years ago. But it just lie there and seems to have died there without getting a result. 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. Sad to say, it was a review-in-eternity. 

Rumor mills are grinding overnight that Omb. Gutierrez and Mayor Trenas are classmates at the Ateneo Law School few years ago. This may be the reason why no action had been taken by her office against the respondent classmate.

The Ombudsman is so powerful that her mere signature is feared by local officials required by law to file statements of assets and liabilities. Her arrogance is noted, too, during the Senate hearing of the (sweetheart?) deal entered into by her office with AFP Gen. Carlos Garcia over the latter's plunder case.

But not until Cong. Niel "Junjun" Tupas, Jr. of Barotac Viejo, Fifth District of Iloilo, get into the picture. Even before the hearing starts for her impeachment, Omb. Gutierrez who is known for her fighting spirit, seems already badly beaten by her looks. As easily gleaned, only her will to fight is there, the spirit disappear!

Why? The Supreme Court (SC) in a majority vote of 7 to 5 junks the petition she filed seeking to declare unconstitutional the impeachment proceeding against her by the Justice Committee of the Lower House chaired by Cong. Tupas, Jr.

It cited 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. This is 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 second complaint against her after she failed to go after Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante and other people behind the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

She probably thought of having an ally in the person of Mr. Midas Marquez, the SC spokesman. But she was badly disillusioned to discover that Midas, her perceived ally, has a Midas touch in reverse - the decision he touched did not turn into gold but a disgrace!

The SC spokesman said that after review, the high court found the House justice committee did not infringe on the Constitution as the two complaints against Monalisa ehe, este Ombudsman Gutierrez, were both referred to the committee “at the same time.”

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

Monalisa...ehe, este Ombudsman Gutierrez' impeachment now seems inevitable. If I may suggest, the song “My Way” should be her marching theme on the way out being fit to this story. Here, the tragedy is not to go - but having no one to remember you!