Impeach moves now targeting Ani’s deputy

Ombudsman Aniano Desierto’s tormentor in the House of Representatives trained his guns yesterday on Desierto’s deputy and his "cohorts."

In a statement, Rep. Oscar Moreno (Lakas, Misamis Oriental) said Deputy Ombudsman Margarito Gervacio, like his boss, should be "cleansed" from the constitutional office that is supposed to go after corrupt public officials.

"Desierto has transformed the Office of the Ombudsman into his private domain, creating a culture of corruption and an intricate web supporting that culture," he said.

He said if the Ombudsman is impeached or when he retires late this year, Gervacio, who "is a mere extension of Desierto," should not be chosen to replace him.

"If Gervacio replaces Desierto, God forbid, we can expect the same culture of corruption. Desierto will continue lording over this very sensitive office," he added.

Moreno, however, acknowledged that there are still officials and employees in the Ombudsman’s office "who have remained clean" and that some of these personnel are leaking documents and information to him.

Since the first impeachment complaint was filed by lawyer Ernesto Francisco against Desierto, Gervacio has been frequently seen in the House premises.

Many congressmen have admitted that the Ombudsman’s deputy had talked to them, dissuading them from endorsing Francisco’s petition.

When the justice committee voted overwhelmingly to throw out the complaint for lack of substance, Gervacio led the gallery composed mostly of personnel from the Ombudsman’s office in applauding the decision and congratulating committee members.

Moreno filed his latest salvo against Desierto even as he and the "Spice Boys" group of Representatives Juan Miguel Zubiri of Bukidnon, Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Federico Sandoval II of Malabon-Navotas continued to collect signatures in support of a new petition to impeach the Ombudsman.

Moreno, Zubiri, Barbers, and Sandoval were among 40 or 20 Lakas lawmakers led by then Minority Leader Feliciano Belmonte Jr. who initiated the impeachment process against former President Joseph Estrada.

Belmonte, now mayor of Quezon City, later headed the House panel that prosecuted Estrada in his Senate trial. Moreno was a member of that panel.

Unexpectedly, the Zubiri group received valuable counsel from a ranking House leader yesterday.

Zubiri and his colleagues were told that if they could gather at least 73 signatures – one-third of all House members – they should initiate a third impeachment complaint separate from the second tax scam-related case filed by Moreno and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and representatives of several people’s organizations.

The suggested tack is designed to skirt a provision in the impeachment rules that the requirement on the support of one-third of all members be met at the time of the filing of a complaint.

The House leader informed the Zubiri group that if they endorsed the Moreno-Ocampo petition, they could be questioned on the ground that their endorsement came after the filing of such petition.

The second complaint could be dismissed on a technicality even if it meets the one-third support requirement, the official said.

But if it is a new case with enough signatures, the House has no option but to send it to the Senate for trial, bypassing the justice committee just like what happened in Estrada’s case, said the House leader.

Desierto’s supporters among congressmen have warned Moreno, Ocampo and the Zubiri group that they could no longer collect signatures for the second complaint because that is prohibited by the impeachment rules.

Next week, the House will resume taking up the justice committee decision to throw out the Francisco complaint.

A vote on the committee report will render the second case and any new petition useless since no impeachment complaint can be entertained against the same official for one year.