MANILA, Philippines—The spokesman of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Saturday said the decision to file criminal charge against a number of officials for the P728-million fertilizer fund scam was not a ploy to “counter” her impeachment case. Lawyer Tomas Syquia, Gutierrez’s impeachment spokesman, said the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision was all in a day’s work. He said the office continued to function despite the challenges that Gutierrez was now facing.
“It is not meant to counter. It is just that the Ombudsman’s work does not stop with the filing of the impeachment case,” Syquia said in a text message.
He said Gutierrez did not want to comment further on the issue precisely to avoid the perception that she was using it to counter the impeachment case.
The resolution recommending plunder charges against former agriculture officials Luis Lorenzo and Jocelyn Bolante was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro. Gutierrez had inhibited from the deliberations out of a sense of propriety, her office had said.
Leila Salaverria, Inquirer.net
