Editorial

Not a time for threats

THE Palace is correct when it says the recent impeachment complaint filed against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is a good opportunity for the government?s highest anti-corruption official to defend herself against charges that she is giving special treatment to the President and her close associates.

The accusation is a serious one, as it strikes at the heart of an office that is supposed to safeguard the public against official wrongdoing. To preserve the credibility of that office, any complaint must be investigated and pursued according to the processes laid out by our laws.

A spokesman for the President put it succinctly when she said the Palace respects the seriousness of the impeachment proceedings as part of the democratic process.

Given this clear statement, it was a little surprising to learn that the Ombudsman had called a press conference during which she threatened to file charges of perjury and falsification against the 31 individuals who filed the impeachment complaint against her. The threat is unfortunate, as it implies that the Office of the Ombudsman will now dedicate time and resources to attacking its critics rather than pursuing those guilty of official corruption.

Even more unseemly were the Ombudsman?s ad hominem attacks on the principal complainant and unkind remarks that referred to his advanced age.

It is true that the complaint itself, which referred unnecessarily to the Ombudsman?s failure to pass the Bar the first time she took it, was not free of such personal attacks. But by allowing herself to be goaded into responding in kind, the Ombudsman comes across as being petty and mean spirited.

The Ombudsman clearly believes the charges against her are false and baseless. Now would be the time to prove this to all and sundry; now isn?t the time for threats and personal attacks.