Militant farmers file graft raps vs Merci

MANILA, Philippines—Militant peasant groups on Monday filed graft and obstruction charges against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned her post over a week ago, for her alleged failure to prosecute those involved in the controversial P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

The 10-page complaint, filed at the Justice Department, said that Gutierrez junked 40 task force reports of the Office of the Ombudsman which recommended the filing of appropriate charges against government officials based on the investigations it conducted.

“The message here is, it’s not over even if she has resigned,” said lawyer Edre Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyer (NUPL), in a press conference at the Justice Department.

Aside from the NUPL, the complainants against Gutierrez are Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano, the Kilusang Mambubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and eight others.