Ex-ombudsman hits back at GSIS management, questions deals

Former ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez lashed back at the management of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) after the state-run pension fund manager questioned her eligibility as a member of the board of trustees.

- LAWRENCE AGCAOILI

In a letter, Gutierrez told The STAR that the supposed findings sent to GSIS management from an anonymous "whistleblowing complaint" received last March 28 are clearly erroneous.

As ombudsman during the term of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Gutierrez said she is qualified to sit as a trustee of GSIS representing the legal profession, as mandated under Presidential Decree 1146 that amended Republic Act 8291 or the GSIS Charter.

"As a former acting secretary of justice, chief presidential legal counsel and ombudsman, there can be no doubt that the undersigned is a recognized member of the legal profession," she stressed.

Gutierrez added that she has been part of the civil service since 1974 and has spent four decades in government.