Debt activists to Ombudsman Gutierrez: Too late the hero

"Too late for heroic acts."

 

This was the statement issued by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and the Youth Against Debt (YAD) concerning Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's decision to inhibit herself from the investigation of alleged anomalies surrounding the government's aborted $329.48-million National Broadband Network project with China's ZTE Corp.

 

Describing it as an act of hypocrisy to save an irredeemably corrupt and inept institution, the groups said the latest act of Gutierrez will not salvage the image and the reputation of the Ombudsman as a venue of Malacanang's spin masters to whitewash cases of anomalies and corruption involving Mrs. Arroyo and her family.

 

"Though we welcome Ombudsman Gutierrez's decision to inhibit herself from the investigation, the Office of the Ombudsman remains morally weak—lacking the needed integrity to search for truth and accountability," FDC Secretary-General Milo Tanhuling said.

 

"The people are not gullible. Just because Gutierrez defaulted from the case, it does not automatically mean this institution can provide us with genuine justice and political clarity. Its long history of inaction and of being fence sitters amid rampant graft and corruption is phenomenal," Tanchuling said.

 

"Unless this office is cleansed of Mrs. Arroyo's apologists, the Ombudsman cannot be trusted in providing justice," Tanchuling said

 

FDC scored the institution's continued inaction on other cases involving Palace "cronies," such as former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante's involvement in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam allegedly meant to divert fertilizer funds for then presidential bet Gloria Arroyo's campaign kitty in 2004.

 

"Instead we call for the establishment of an independent body without any connection with Malacanang that will immediately audit and investigate all loan-financed government contracts beginning with the suspended ZTE-NBN deal and other projects implicated in the Lozada testimony," Tanchuling said.

 

For their part, YAD spokesperson Bianca Lapuz said the ZTE-NBN deal is just the tip of the iceberg. "There are more of these illegitimate projects hidden from public scrutiny, irresponsibly entered into by our government which in turn becomes illegitimate debts which will be shouldered by an already debt-burdened people," Lapuz said.

 

 The youth group demands the suspension of other illegitimate projects pending their investigation starting with the $400-million Cyber Education Project (CEP), the $503-million North Luzon Railways Project and the $884-million South Luzon Railways Project.

 

FDC and YAD are also calling for a comprehensive audit of all public debt and all policies, regulations and laws that govern public borrowings, including the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) law, the practice of extending sovereign guarantees and the resulting contingent liabilities.