 |
| Impeachment: a good reason to be sad. |
For the last three years, impeachment has been the ghost haunting Ombudswoman Merceditas Gutierrez.
Like in horror movies, the protagonist initially brushes off the existence of a paranormal being, either because she has no reason to believe in such, or she is too preoccupied to notice the lurking/emerging evil. And with some help from the Supreme Court, Gutierrez didn't have any trouble ignoring the impeachment complaints filed against her.
In 2009, it was Jovito Salonga. In 2010, it was Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel et. al. Come 2011, Baraquel is still coming for Gutierrez the same way Jason Voorhees comes after his defenseless victims. And you how it is with Jason -- he always goes for the kill.
After what transpired in the House of Representatives yesterday, its starting to look like this protagonist just found out that ghosts are for real and that they're such a pain in the ass.
For all those times that she acted apathetically on the anomalies brought to her attention, one could only get a sense of satisfaction when the justice committee of the House of Representatives voted for the feisty Gutierrez's impeachment. Finally, she gets what she deserves.
All those times she turned a blind eye on the NBN-ZTE deal, the fertilizer fund scam, the “euro generals” scandal, and the Mega Pacific eSolutions contract, finally, Gutierrez is being held accountable for her inaction.
And for all those times she shielded then president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from impeachment, it must be disappointing for her to find out that no one's got your back when its your turn to be ousted.
Good riddance?
While ridding ourselves a corrupt official is always good in any country or language, bear in mind that Merci here has one good quality worth holding on to -- she opposes the P-Noy administration.
The job of the Office of the Ombudsman is to monitor the government and its three branches (legislative, judiciary and executive), receive complaints from citizens, and prosecute government officials who are allegedly involved in criminal acts.
With that out of the way, imagine what the set-up would look like when Gutierrez is booted out of the office. We already established that we got rid of a rotten egg, but any guesses on who's going to take her place? Of course, the person with the power to appoint a new Ombudsman is none other than the man himself, President Aquino.
If you're paying attention, you'll notice that the key figures in his administration are either friends or family members. So there's a good chance that the next ombudsman is pro-Aquino. Now, P-Noy doesn't own a track record that has corruption written all over it. But that doesn't mean he won't screw up. I mean, the guy's so eager to punish the delinquents of the previous administration, yet he can't punish the ones who should be held accountable for the Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis. In addition, even if Aquino is a good guy, and by good guy, I mean he's not the type to squander taxes on expensive meals in New York, that doesn't stop his people and allies from stealing from us. So who's going to stop them when the ombudsman is also one of theirs?
That's why Merci must stay. She is the embodiment of the whole check and balance scenario. She may not have been all that back in the PGMA administration, but she is now. The mere fact that she is a critic of P-Noy, and that she has the mental toughness (bitchiness) to thwart even the toughest detractors, makes her a qualified ombudsman. And who knows, maybe keeping Merci around can do wonders for the P-Noy administration.
Take U.S. Pres. Barrack Obama for example. When he appointed his former rival as Secretary of State, everybody thought it was a good move. It also shows what a true professional Obama is. The man doesn't give a damn if they had their differences. What matters to him is the fact that Clinton can get the job done.
Now, imagine if P-Noy can do the same with Gutierrez. They're not exactly rivals, but you know that the commander-in-chief doesn't want Merci seated in power because she was appointed by, probably, the most corrupt president in the history of the country. But this woman doesn't like Noynoy as well. So you know that she'll always be on her guard, looking for her opponent to make the slightest opening so she can bash him. If your President lets someone like that hang around long enough to make sure she'll keep him in line, then it says a lot about what type of leader this country has.
If P-Noy finds a way to help Gutierrez stay in office, it will become the ultimate proof of the President's sincerity to unite the political factions in the Philippines. Of course, that doesn't automatically yield positive results (there's a possibility that if all of them become friends, they'll end up working together in stealing more money from us Average Joes).
Of course, Gutierrez still has to answer for her lapses during her time with PGMA. But that can wait. We can never tell when one of Aquino's cohorts will screw with us. And when that time comes, we need someone that will help us fight against this government, because the government, in nature, will defend itself and those inside it.
Merci's punishment can wait. For the time being, maybe it's best if she stays.
How about you? What do you think? Fire away in the comments section.
If you're paying attention, you'll notice that the key figures in his administration are either friends or family members. So there's a good chance that the next ombudsman is pro-Aquino. Now, P-Noy doesn't own a track record that has corruption written all over it. But that doesn't mean he won't screw up. I mean, the guy's so eager to punish the delinquents of the previous administration, yet he can't punish the ones who should be held accountable for the Quirino Grandstand hostage crisis. In addition, even if Aquino is a good guy, and by good guy, I mean he's not the type to squander taxes on expensive meals in New York, that doesn't stop his people and allies from stealing from us. So who's going to stop them when the ombudsman is also one of theirs?
That's why Merci must stay. She is the embodiment of the whole check and balance scenario. She may not have been all that back in the PGMA administration, but she is now. The mere fact that she is a critic of P-Noy, and that she has the mental toughness (bitchiness) to thwart even the toughest detractors, makes her a qualified ombudsman. And who knows, maybe keeping Merci around can do wonders for the P-Noy administration.
Take U.S. Pres. Barrack Obama for example. When he appointed his former rival as Secretary of State, everybody thought it was a good move. It also shows what a true professional Obama is. The man doesn't give a damn if they had their differences. What matters to him is the fact that Clinton can get the job done.
Now, imagine if P-Noy can do the same with Gutierrez. They're not exactly rivals, but you know that the commander-in-chief doesn't want Merci seated in power because she was appointed by, probably, the most corrupt president in the history of the country. But this woman doesn't like Noynoy as well. So you know that she'll always be on her guard, looking for her opponent to make the slightest opening so she can bash him. If your President lets someone like that hang around long enough to make sure she'll keep him in line, then it says a lot about what type of leader this country has.
If P-Noy finds a way to help Gutierrez stay in office, it will become the ultimate proof of the President's sincerity to unite the political factions in the Philippines. Of course, that doesn't automatically yield positive results (there's a possibility that if all of them become friends, they'll end up working together in stealing more money from us Average Joes).
Of course, Gutierrez still has to answer for her lapses during her time with PGMA. But that can wait. We can never tell when one of Aquino's cohorts will screw with us. And when that time comes, we need someone that will help us fight against this government, because the government, in nature, will defend itself and those inside it.
Merci's punishment can wait. For the time being, maybe it's best if she stays.
How about you? What do you think? Fire away in the comments section.
No comments:
Post a Comment