Frank Chavez for Ombudsman

MANY reasons have been given on why Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigned before she could face impeachment proceedings in the Senate.

She stood her ground and expressed optimism she would be acquitted by the Senate that would have acted as a court.

But the most plausible reason is that Gutierrez was left out in the cold by her former benefactors, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria and husband Mike Arroyo.

It’s just as well she resigned.

The Arroyos don’t value loyalty.

When their interests are at stake, the Arroyos will leave their supporters to fend for themselves.

* * *

President Noy is looking for Merci Gutierrez’s replacement.

Why doesn’t he include Frank Chavez, the former Solicitor General during his mother’s administration, in the short list of candidates?

Chavez, who graduated cum laude at the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1971 and became a lawyer in 1972, was given the “Tribune of the People” award in 2008 by the National Union of People’s Lawyers.

The award was conferred on Chavez for his “unwavering fight these past 38 years (circa December 10, 2008) for freedom, justice, human rights, honesty in government service and Constitutional advocacy espousing public interest cases and the cause of the poor, needy and the oppressed.”

* * *

I was once a beneficiary of Chavez’s advocacy championing the oppressed.

In 1988, Bataan Judge Jose Bartolome sent me to jail for writing in this column about a robbery homicide case he was handling.

The judge wanted the case hush-hushed because, I learned later, he would acquit the defendants even if there was very strong evidence against them.

The Inquirer, through lawyer Tom del Castillo, filed a petition in the Court of Appeals for my release.

Being the Solicitor General at the time, Chavez was supposed to defend the action of Judge Bartolome.

Instead, Chavez denounced the judge for being “abusive.”

As a result, I was immediately released.

* * *

In Saturday’s column, I said—citing an insider—that the top officials of the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) were performing their functions illegally.

Under the Pagcor charter, according to the insider, the President recommends to the Pagcor board of directors nominees for top positions.

But according to a Pagcor old-timer, the President allegedly didn’t do so since he arbitrarily removed all members of the Pagcor board and replaced them with a new board.

The old-timer claims all Pagcor officials are now illegally performing their functions, because of the President’s action.

But Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa has contradicted the old-timer.

He said that according to the Pagcor charter, members of the board are appointed by the President for a term of one year.

“There is no need for any recommendation from the old board or any entity as the President appoints through an appointment letter, not a desire letter,” Ochoa said.

* * *

When my friend’s father died, the family claimed his insurance from the National Life Insurance Company.

The insurance firm asked—and was given—a deed of settlement and certificate of release from the family.

Now that it has the deed of settlement, it has refused to issue the check to the family.

The Insurance Commission should do something about National Life Insurance.