The House of Representatives voted early this morning   to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez by a vote of 212-46 after deliberations that lasted almost 8 hours.

Those who voted against the impeachment shortly past midnight included Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (Neg. Occ, 5th District), Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Pampanga, 2nd District), Rep. Diosdado Macapagal (Camarines Sur, 2nd District) and Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo (PL-AGP).

Four congressmen abstained.

The six other representatives from Negros Occidental voted yes to the impeachment – Julio Ledesma IV (1st District), Alfredo Marañon Jr. (2nd District), Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (3rd District), Jeffrey Ferrer (4th District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District) and Anthony Golez (Bacolod).

The House vote means that Gutierrez will be tried before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. The Senate needs a two-thirds vote to sack Gutierrez, otherwise she stays on as Ombudsman until her term ends in December 2012.

Gutierrez is being tried for her low conviction rate and inaction on the NBN-ZTE scam, fertilizer fund scandal, "Euro generals" scandal, Mega-Pacific deal, and the Philip Pestaño case.

Justice committee chair, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., the sponsor of the impeachment complaint, said all six cases redound to a betrayal of public trust.

He was interpellated by Representatives Edcel Lagman, Danilo Suarez, Rodante Marcoleta, Carlos Padilla, Augusto Syjuco, Rodolfo Albano, Mitos Magsaysay and Marc Cagas.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party Bacolod City chapter, headed by lawyer Andres Hagad, in a statement issued yesterday said it backs the impeachment of Gutierrez, saying it is a crucial step in the right direction towards good governance in the country.

Gutierrez must go so that a political process of accountability and transparency under the Aquino administration will be set forth and promote the principles of good governance, it said.

“The position of the ombudsman is very important in ensuring government’s commitment to the cause of truth and justice, and by restoring public trust to the Philippine public institutions damaged and eroded by the untrammeled abuses and acts of impunity under the previous Arroyo administration,” it said.

It said Gutierrez has failed miserably to do her basic constitutional duty of running after the most powerful grafters and corrupt public officials and filing appropriate charges against them.

Worse, Gutierrez even appeared to protect from prosecution   the former president and her top cohorts, the statement added.*CPG

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