Alan F. Paguia
Former Professor of Law
Ateneo Law School
University of Batangas
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
alanpaguia@yahoo.com
March 22, 2011
Merceditas Gutierrez, who is claiming to be Ombudsman, will be ACQUITTED.
14 Senators have disqualified themselves by publicly recommending the impeachment of Merci and necessarily lost the APPEARANCE of the "cold neutrality of an impartial judge"- thereby giving her the defense of NONCOMPLIANCE with due process of law. This is if we follow the logic of the prosecution which ASSUMES that Merci is still the Ombudsman.
The fact is she merely inherited her TENURE of about 4 years from Simeon Marcelo's constitutional 7-year TERM - which expired, by operation of law, on November 2009.
After the said EXPIRATION, Merci's official acts were done WITHOUT JURISDICTION, and therefore, VOID from the beginning.
Hence, the current impeachment process appears to be a grand COVER UP of her illegal acts by those who, directly or indirectly, benefitted therefrom.
Who are those powerful or influential beneficiaries?
The Filipino people must know.
