Act of fealty
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While the government action against officials of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) was long expected, the seemingly synchronized actions of the Office of the President and the Ombudsman in slapping suspension orders on LWUA Chairman Prospero Pichay Jr. and three other officials left a bad taste in the mouth.
It appeared that the Palace was the first to act on the 90-day suspension of the three LWUA trustees and acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro, who is among the 25 candidates gunning for the post left by Noynoy’s nemesis, Merceditas Gutierrez, getting wind of the decision decided to do one better by freezing Pichay for six months.
Reporters were still asking Noynoy’s spokesmen at the Palace on the fate of Pichay since he was conspicuously not on the list of the LWUA executives ordered suspended when the Ombudsman issued the order canning Pichay.
The Palace reporters were told that the case of Pichay was being processed separately and an appeal is being heard. Apparently one of the many factions within the Palace is intermediating in behalf of Pichay and to avoid possible hurt feelings, the best option was to have the Office of the Ombudsman act on Pichay. Casimiro seemed only too happy to oblige.
That is the ideal set up being worked on by Noynoy in which the Ombudsman, a supposedly independent anti-graft official, is expected to toe the line of the Palace.
On the same day of the Pichay caper, Casimiro issued a statement, saying that he is “committed to perform his functions in accordance with law until President Aquino appoints a new Ombudsman.”
The message does not need to be deciphered. The meaning was clear: Here Noynoy has a guaranteed ass kisser for the next seven years.
The nature of the Ombudsman’s post which is to run after suspected corrupt officials in government is not expected to be effective if it started currying favor with the executive.
It would not be impossible to see then the Ombudsman limiting his field of vision on critics of Noynoy who, unfortunately, are mostly saddled with one graft case or another while allies of Noynoy go largely untouched or their cases sat on.
The office of the graft buster was created mainly to strengthen the check and balance mechanism in government and not to act as one of the many state prosecutors at Noynoy’s disposal.
Still, Casimiro cannot be blamed for acting as he did since Noynoy precisely laid down the predicate on the qualities of his ideal Ombudsman when he pressured Merci out of her office.
Aside from being told straight in her face right to resign or face impeachment from the start of Noynoy’s administration, Merci was blamed for the slowing down of the process of supposed reforms committed by Noynoy.
The reality, however, is that no major graft case against those from the past administration was referred to Merci on Noynoy’s claim that either she would intentionally weaken or outrightly dismiss these.
Casimiro is a preview of Noynoy’s preferred Ombudsman and the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) which is currently reviewing the candidates for the position should see to it that this does not happen, although chances are it will. Already, the JBC is now staffed by Noynoy appointees and they are now in the majority.
The Palace and the Ombudsman actions in the case of the LWUA executives were an impressive show of unity but which should have never happened.
Truth to tell, the ideal person as Ombudsman as the Constitution intends it would need the quality of Merci in defying the wishes of Malacañang.
A wishful thought, however, since Noynoy’s allies would only have such person impeached.
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