By Macon Ramos Araneta

Amid calls for her resignation, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday denounced the harassment tactics being employed by a state prosecutor and a private organization.

“I am the one being harassed here,” Gutierrez said as she denied having anything to do with complaints filed against Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio by his own subordinates.

Gutierrez also hit back at the Makati Business Club for seeking her ouster when she refused to accommodate its request for access to high-profile cases.

In an interview with Standard Today, Gutierrez stressed she has nothing personal against Villa-Ignacio, who had blamed her for the twin complaints of absenteeism and estafa filed against him before the Ombudsman Internal and Legal Affairs Division by his own subordinates.

But Gutierrez dismissed it. “But I have nothing personal against him. This is all about his job, which I cannot tolerate. He has been going to his office only to get his salary and allowances,” Gutierrez told Standard Today.

She laughed off Villa-Ignacio’s defense that the complaint for his absences was meant to harass him. “I don’t believe this is the right answer for that complaint,” Gutierrez said.

Villa-Ignacio said he had filed vacation and sick leaves for the days he did not report for work.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez said that former central bank Governor Jose Cuisia of the Makati Business Club has an ax to grind against her in calling for her resignation.

She explained that Cuisia went to her office and said that the Coalition Against Corruption would like to monitor the cases being handled by her office.