Mercy mercy me

Today I got to talk to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, the one-time deputy secretary of justice and now reluctant prosecutor to the estimated 8000 cases of graft and corruption pending at the office of the ombudsman. Is it any surprise that such a large backlog exists? In fairness to the good woman as well as her predecessor Simeon Marcelo, most of these cases were racked up over the years. Shades of Aniano Desierto and all.

Anyway in light of insinuations of her lack of backbone to investigate the First Family, Gutierrez has vowed to go against the prevailing sentiment. Gloria Inc. will indeed be investigated should her name, or any member of the first family, crop up in the mountain of cases towering over the good office.

Only time will tell if Gutierrez is up to the task. A personal friend of mine working at the Sandiganbayan tells of how rotten and parochial these government truly is. In one such case, the Sandiganbayan ruled against two congressmen in a graft case filed against them. When the speaker of the house got wind of it, he allegedly refused to issue the suspension order to the two pro-administration congressmen. My friend tells me that a suspension should have been in order pending their appeal to the higher courts. With this kind of fraternal corruption, it is easy why Gutierrez reluctantly accepted her post.