Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez
Encyclopedia
Ma. Merceditas Navarro Gutierrez is a Filipino
government official and Ombudsman
of the Republic of the Philippines
. She heads the powerful Ombudsman Office which investigates government officials accused of crimes. She was a two-time Justice Secretary of the Philippine Justice Department in 2002 and 2004. She assumed the Office of the Ombudsman on December 1, 2005 as the first female to head the post. On March 22, 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez
. She announce her resignation from office on April 29, 2011, and her term is until on May 6, 2011.
Law School in 1972, wherein she was a schoolmate of the future First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. She took the Bar the following year but failed. She then eventually passed the Bar in 1974 with an average grade. In 1983, she began engaging herself in government services. She became the Legal Officer of the Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC), then, Presidential Legal Officer of the Philippine Presidential Office. After her stints from those government offices, she was moved by the President to the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines.
as Acting Secretary to fill out the vacant seats of Secretary Hernani Perez in 2002 and Secretary Simeon Datumanong
in 2004.
In June 2007, she was elected as Vice-President of the 22-member Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), a regional grouping which aims to improve multilateral cooperation among Asian countries in the fight against the social menace.
In March 2009, former Senate President Jovito Salonga
and other civil society groups filed impeachment charges before the Philippine Congress against Gutierrez, alleging that she mishandled cases. The complaint was later dismissed.
On July 22, 2010, a new impeachment complaint was filed against Gutierrez by Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Brigadier General Danilo Lim
and Evelyn Pestano on the basis of "illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient" handling of cases. In August 2010, another impeachment complaint was filed by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan for inaction on the Fertilizer Fund scam
, the Euro Generals scandal
and the Mega Pacific scandal. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on March 10, 2011 recommended the impeachment and resignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez as well as the firing of members of the Office of the Special Prosecutor
for "neglecting, weakening and complicating" the plunder case against former military comptroller
Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia
and his family. On March 22, 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez on charges of betraying the public trust, with 4 representatives abstaining, 46 against, and 210 for the impeachment, thereby sending the impeachment to the Senate.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
government official and Ombudsman
Philippine Ombudsman
The Ombudsman of the Philippines is an ombudsman responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes....
of the Republic of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She heads the powerful Ombudsman Office which investigates government officials accused of crimes. She was a two-time Justice Secretary of the Philippine Justice Department in 2002 and 2004. She assumed the Office of the Ombudsman on December 1, 2005 as the first female to head the post. On March 22, 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez
Impeachment of Merceditas Gutierrez
The Philippine Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of the office's alleged underperformance and failure to act on several cases during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
. She announce her resignation from office on April 29, 2011, and her term is until on May 6, 2011.
Early life
Gutierrez graduated from the Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
Law School in 1972, wherein she was a schoolmate of the future First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. She took the Bar the following year but failed. She then eventually passed the Bar in 1974 with an average grade. In 1983, she began engaging herself in government services. She became the Legal Officer of the Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC), then, Presidential Legal Officer of the Philippine Presidential Office. After her stints from those government offices, she was moved by the President to the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines.
Justice Secretary
In two separate instances, Gutierrez was appointed by President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
as Acting Secretary to fill out the vacant seats of Secretary Hernani Perez in 2002 and Secretary Simeon Datumanong
Simeon Datumanong
Simeon Datumanong is a Filipino-Muslim politician who held different government positions and currently serves as a Representative of the lone district of Maguindanao in the House of Representatives of the Philippines...
in 2004.
Ombudsman
On December 1, 2005, President Arroyo appointed Gutierrez to the post of Ombudsman, who is responsible for investigating erring government officials. She became the first woman to be appointed as ombudsman.In June 2007, she was elected as Vice-President of the 22-member Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), a regional grouping which aims to improve multilateral cooperation among Asian countries in the fight against the social menace.
In March 2009, former Senate President Jovito Salonga
Jovito Salonga
Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga is a Filipino nationalist politician and lawyer, as well as a leading opposition leader during the Marcos regime from 1972, when Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, until 1986, when Marcos was deposed as a result of a bloodless revolution...
and other civil society groups filed impeachment charges before the Philippine Congress against Gutierrez, alleging that she mishandled cases. The complaint was later dismissed.
On July 22, 2010, a new impeachment complaint was filed against Gutierrez by Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Brigadier General Danilo Lim
Danilo Lim
Danilo Lim is a retired Filipino brigadier general. He has been incarcerated at the Camp Crame in Quezon City from 2006 to 2010 for rebellion charges and attempted coup d'état...
and Evelyn Pestano on the basis of "illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient" handling of cases. In August 2010, another impeachment complaint was filed by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan for inaction on the Fertilizer Fund scam
Fertilizer Fund Scam
The Fertilizer Fund Scam is a Philippine political controversy involving accusations that Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante diverted P728 million in fertilizer funds to the 2004 election campaign of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.-Details:...
, the Euro Generals scandal
Euro Generals Scandal
The Euro Generals Scandal involves Eliseo de la Paz and several Philippine National Police officials who went to Russia on October 2008 to attend the Interpol conference...
and the Mega Pacific scandal. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on March 10, 2011 recommended the impeachment and resignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez as well as the firing of members of the Office of the Special Prosecutor
Special prosecutor
A special prosecutor generally is a lawyer from outside the government appointed by an attorney general or, in the United States, by Congress to investigate a government official for misconduct while in office. A reasoning for such an appointment is that the governmental branch or agency may have...
for "neglecting, weakening and complicating" the plunder case against former military comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia
Carlos Garcia
Carlos Garcia may refer to:*Carlos García , Venezuelan former major league baseball player*Carlos García-Bedoya , Peruvian diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979*Carlos P...
and his family. On March 22, 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez on charges of betraying the public trust, with 4 representatives abstaining, 46 against, and 210 for the impeachment, thereby sending the impeachment to the Senate.