An (almost) clean escape.

Practically everyone in the Philippines has developed this form of hatred towards Merceditas Gutierrez for failing to fulfill her duties as Ombudsman during the Arroyo regime, where many cases remained to be unsolved until now. It has come to a point where the hatred has become enormous, that a impeachment trial was made in efforts of bringing her down. Despite all of these accusations she is facing, she insists that she is not guilty of the accusations being made to her. She is an iron lady, refusing to go down, despite all the hurls against her, despite on being tagged as an "Arroyo ally", being the principal cause of how Arroyo managed to escape all the corruption accusations made to her during her regime.

Yet, with all the odds against her, she made an unexpected move through making a firm decision of resigning as Ombudsman for the sake of the nation, and also for the protection of her family. It was a decision that surprised everyone, considering her iron lady status of refusing to step down. Despite her strong beliefs of being not guilty, she did the unexpected.

Because of such a move Gutierrez has made, my hatred for her has lessened a bit for one sole reason: the fact that her conscience has worked in the process of making this difficult decision of stepping down, 10 days before the start of her impeachment trial at the senate. For that brief moment, I have viewed her as someone that you can respect, unlike the likes of the Ligots, or worse, the Arroyos, in which, even with all the odds against them, still continually deny the accusations made through them, and that further investigation incriminates them to their right to privacy.

Such a move represents that after all, Gutierrez went in for a more dignified exit rather than facing the humiliation of an impeachment, the very same fate that former President Joseph Estrada faced, in the light of People Power 2. After all, she did showed a little bit of care for the Nation. She is not entirely bad or evil, after all. She may be the cause of the widespread corruption that occurred during the Arroyo regime, she may be the one "protecting" these corrupt acts, but still, she makes a preemptive move by resigning days before she faces the pressure in the senate, responding to the various questions that will be hurled at her.

But that does not mean she can still escape clean. Her move just lessens the pressure of it all.