Ex-BIR chief not too keen on Ombudsman post

MANILA, Philippines—A contender for the post that Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez will be vacating on May 6 has declared she would rather not be the next Ombudsman because of her ties to the political opposition to ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Liwayway Vinzons-Chato, a former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner, also rejected the idea that the replacement of Gutierrez should be a close ally of President Aquino.

“The next Ombudsman should not be pro-Aquino or anti-Arroyo,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview. “The next Ombudsman should be objective. (He or she) should not be against anyone, but against the anomalies happening in government.”

Chato’s name was placed on the initial list of candidates considered for nomination by the Judicial and Bar Council. Also said to be in the running were former senator Wigberto “Bobby” Tanada and lawyers Jose Manuel Diokno and Rene Villa.

Chato was careful about commenting on the matter, saying she did not want to be misconstrued as eyeing the post vacated by Gutierrez, an appointee and close ally of Arroyo.

“I’m not applying for the post and I don’t want to appear presumptuous,” she said. “But I’m open to anything if that (Office of the Ombudsman) is where I can serve the country best.”

Chato said she had been preoccupied with her law practice and her ongoing election protest against Representative Elmer Panotes of the second district of Camarines Norte.

She said the expectations on the next Ombudsman would be naturally “very high” given the attacks on Gutierrez. Many of the criticisms came from the Aquino administration and its allies, who alleged that she sat on cases involving the former president.

Chato made it clear that the Ombudsman would have to “go by what is to be done and what is available.” “The most difficult of all is to create evidence that is not there,” she explained. “You work with whatever is there.”

She added: “It is important that the public sees that you are really doing something and not just leaving cases to rot.”

Chato admitted that she herself wondered about the decision of special prosecutors to strike a deal with Carlos Garcia. The plea bargain would allow the ex-military comptroller to walk free after returning less than half of the P303 million he had allegedly stolen from government coffers.

“I don’t want to judge the (former) Ombudsman, but there is really a big question mark on what there was to compromise,” Chato said. “It’s in the minds of the people because the liability (of Garcia) is big.”