'Impeachment raps vs Gutierrez won't affect anti-corruption drive'

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman assured the people anew yesterday that the government’s anti-corruption campaign would not be affected by an impeachment case filed against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

Officials are even elated that efforts to battle graft are being recognized based on the country’s improved corruption perception rating as compared to other Asian countries.

Assistant Ombudsman Jose de Jesus Jr. said work at the Office of the Ombudsman is not affected by the impeachment complaint.

“And at the proper time, Ombudsman Gutierrez is ready to face the complaint,” he told The STAR in an interview, adding that results of the 2009 Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) survey show that the public appreciates the ongoing efforts to fight graft and corruption.

“From the top of the heap, now we are number six and improving. This means that the mechanisms installed by the Ombudsman are working,” De Jesus said.

The PERC report showed that the Philippines has moved up two points from a 9.0 rating in 2008 to 7.0 in 2009, with 10 interpreted as worst.

The report noted that “the actual level of corruption is not as bad as it is often portrayed” and that “talk of corruption in the Philippines has to be discounted since many of the accusations either are grossly exaggerated or completely false.”

Ombudsman Gutierrez said she is elated by the results of the study, which is a manifestation that the country’s anti-corruption efforts are gaining ground.

The PERC 2009 survey showed that Indonesia is perceived to be the most corrupt economy in Asia followed by Thailand, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Macau.

South Korea ranked eleventh, followed by Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, the report said, noting that the results are based on more than 1,700 responses from 14 Asian economies.

Gutierrez believes that through the Multi-Sectoral Anti-Corruption Council (MSACC), with the Office of the Ombudsman as lead convenor, various agencies of the government and the private sector have effectively combined efforts in combating corruption using a holistic approach.

She said this resulted in the anti-corruption gains achieved by the country during the previous year, including a 73.42 percent conviction rate obtained by the Office of the Ombudsman at the Sandiganbayan last year.

Gutierrez said several measures have been instituted which are meant to minimize graft in government agencies after the anti-graft body conducted the Integrity Development Review (IDR) on graft-prone agencies.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Commission on Audit (COA) have already issued their respective Citizen’s Charters, which will make transactions in these agencies easier.

Gutierrez appealed to the public to be discerning regarding the information they receive, noting that Filipinos should scrutinize everything that they read and not immediately believe reports which may be false.

She maintained that the government is doing its best, given its limited resources, to battle and stamp out corruption in the country.

Meanwhile, a legal expert expressed belief that the impeachment complaint filed by former Senate president Jovito Salonga against Gutierrez would not prosper.

“As I see it, the impeachment complaint does not have any substance. It will eventually be dismissed,” said the retired Supreme Court justice who requested anonymity, for the simple reason that he has no authority to speak regarding the issue.

The source, a veteran law professor, explained that the Office of the Ombudsman – being an independent constitutional body – could never be bound by findings of anomalies by a co-equal branch of government like the Senate.

Senate proceedings are for purposes of crafting remedial legislation, while investigations conducted by the anti-graft agency require a more stringent requisite – to determine probable cause adduced by the evidence which could later on stand the rigors of trial.