September 30, 2005 · Posted in: In the News
Marcelo quits as Ombudsman
CITING health reasons, Simeon Marcelo tendered today his irrevocable resignation as the country’s Ombudsman. His resignation takes effect on Nov. 30.
In a two-paragraph letter to President Arroyo, Marcelo said his seven-day workweek since he joined the government in 2001 had left him “physically and mentally exhausted.” He suffers from severe ulcers and hypertension.
Marcelo’s term was supposed to end in 2009.
A friend of Marcelo described the Ombudsman as a "pathological perfectionist" who does not know when to stop working. He said Marcelo has not been able to sleep the past months and was "burnt out."
An anti-corruption consultant said there are two important government institutions that will be leaderless and rudderless: the Ombudsman in November when Marcelo quits and the Supreme Court in December when Hilario Davide retires as chief justice.
"The president’s appointments in these two areas will tell us the shape of things to come," he said.
The country’s third and youngest Ombudsman was with the then Carpio Villaraza and Cruz law firm when he caught the public’s attention during the 2000 Senate impeachment trial of then president Joseph Estrada.
As a private prosecutor, he handled the presentation of the prosecution’s star witnesses–former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson and Equitable-PCIBank executive Clarissa Ocampo.
He was appointed solicitor general in February 2001 and Ombudsman in October 2002.
As Ombudsman, Marcelo heads the panel of government lawyers prosecuting former President Estrada. He also supervises the prosecution of other major high-profile cases before the Sandiganbayan such as the President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard case, the RSBS Pension Fund cases, the Department of Public Works and Highways Repair Scam cases and the plunder case against Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia.
During his term as solicitor general, Marcelo successfully handled before the Supreme Court the recovery of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth worth $680 million.
He also successfully handled before the Supreme Court other major cases, including those involving the constitutionality of the Plunder Law and the multi-billion-peso coconut levy.
Marcelo obtained his bachelor of arts degree in ohilosophy at the Ateneo de Manila University. He graduated with honors in 1974.
He subsequently took up his bachelor of laws at the University of the Philippines and was among the top ten of the graduating class of 1979. He placed fifth (with a rating of 89.9 percent) in the 1979 bar examinations.
Before he entered the government service, he practiced law, specializing in intra-corporate disputes, bank fraud, corporate restructuring and recovery, arbitration/alternative dispute resolution and election law.
He was an active member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines where he served as the executive editor of its Journal from 1993 to 1995. He also served as chairman of the National Committee on Legal Aid (1997-1999), director for Legal Aid-Planning (1999-2000) and head of the Task Force on Child Abuse (2000).
25 Responses to Marcelo quits as Ombudsman
indio_lawless
September 30th, 2005 at 3:22 pm
There was a saying that goes like this : “If you cannot stand the heat of the kitchen, then get out of the said kitchen–pronto!”
Lawyering for a false cause is indeed taxing…if not frustrating to someone’s health.
Did we hear Bert Gonzales saying ” I love stress?” ?
tikboy
September 30th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
with the persent set-up, things like these make me doubt. di kaya pressured na naman ng presidente niyo? consider: marcelo is handling the Gloria, err… Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard case, the controversial marcos wealth case that GMA wants to dip her hands on and other similar cases that involves, directly and indirectly, GMA? and soon, perhaps, GMA’s plunder case?
and consider also that the DOJ sec had been defending GMA to the bone. baka panregalo lang ito kaya napilitan si marcelo na mag-resign?
ah ewan. Glue-ria’s misdeeds had sown me distrust for everything. and nobody can blame me for that.
concerned citizen
September 30th, 2005 at 4:09 pm
nice move! baka di tumagal ang buhay sa kunsumisyon lalo na kung si arroyo boss mo. naalala ko itong si simeon marcelo ng panahon ng erap impeachment. mukhang bata at energetic. ngayon mukhang nanguluntoy na at puro uban pa at ang putla. sorry mr marcelo pero ito ang totoo. sana umige na health problem mo ngayon libre ka na sa poder ng bogus na presidente.
penpenpen88
September 30th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
There was a saying that goes like this : “If you cannot stand the heat of the kitchen, then get out of the said kitchen–pronto!”
Did we hear Bert Gonzales saying ” I love stress?” ? by indio
i agree.. 100 percent why is it pag nag tetestify yung mga guilty sa senate bigla nalang nagkakasakit?? mosqueda succumed to it…and now gonzalez.. baka me virus po sa senado na umaatake sa mga sinungaling.. hmmmm
peacelabenpinay
September 30th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
What is the real score here??? I hope PCIJ gives the true reason for Marcelo’s resignation.
gagay
September 30th, 2005 at 5:17 pm
Siguro naman talagang health reasons lang, i hope. Grabe, sinira na talaga ni Gloria ang tiwala natin sa lahat ng govt officials.
peacelabenpinay
September 30th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Malay natin may ibang rason. Ang trabaho ni Marcelo ay mag-imbestiga at magdemanda ng mga tiwaling opisyal ng gobyerno. Tama lang na paghinalaan ang lahat ng mga pangyayari dahil walang katotohanan sa rehimeng Arroyo. At saka, lahat naman nagkakasakit.
bornokz
September 30th, 2005 at 8:05 pm
Baka naman hindi na ma sikmura ni Marcelo ang mga corruption ni Gloria,Sana bago siya nag resign kinasuhan nya muna mga tuta ni Arroyo,Siguro natuwa kahit papapaano si Gloria kasi may maglalaway na naman at magaambisyon sa posisyon na naiwan ni Marcelo,pangpadagdag na naman niya iyon ng loyalty sa mga tuta niya,Pero di kaya nagsisisi si Marcelo dahil isa siya sa naging daan para makarating si Gloria sa Malakanyang?
kaffeine
September 30th, 2005 at 8:53 pm
buti pa si marcelo may lakas ng loob mag-resign. si gloria wala.
koj
September 30th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
nakakaaliw talaga etong blog site na ito. clap, clap, clap….
biruin mo maglagay lang ng isang topic ang pcij at uusbong ang napakarami at sari-saring interpretasyon at sa ibat-ibang direksyon. ang iba informed, yung iba mis-informed at ang iba naman minsan e puro imahinasyon o di kaya ay teorya.
palagay ko nakakatulong ang site na ito para lalong maunat at ma-exercise ang utak ng mga pinoy. nakakaluwag rin ang pakiramdam sa mga tipong inis-na-inis na sa nakikita nilang sitwasyon ng pinas. samantalang ang iba ay patuloy na nang-iinggit sa mariwasa nilang kalagayan sa kasalukuyan.
peace!
noelet
September 30th, 2005 at 9:58 pm
koj, we really doesn’t know where you belong… to the informed or mis-informed?
peace!
noelet
September 30th, 2005 at 10:02 pm
aba e mahirap talaga ang mapadpad sa bakuran ng malacanan. tignan mo iyong hyatt 10… tignan mo yung peace negotiator na nagresign para daw bumalik sa public sector. pero kasama pala ng hyatt 10. kasi mahirap pakisamahan ang gobyernong ito.
kaya malamang si marcelo ay nagdadahilan lang para hindi na sya pigain ng malacanan.
pero sayang noh… very promising pa naman ang tayo nya sa ombudsman.
koj
September 30th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
noelet said,
September 30, 2005 @ 9:58 pm
koj, we really doesn’t know where you belong… to the informed or mis-informed?
peace!
========
he he…why bother to know?
but for your sake, i’m keeping myself informed by reading from this and other blogs, from print and broadcast media and being observant to events around. is it enough ba or kulang pa kaya to make me an informed person? any suggestions? might still be below par to your ‘informed’ standard.
peace!
chito germino
September 30th, 2005 at 11:08 pm
ei,sonny boy!!!good to hear that you’re resigning irrevocably your position as ombudsman.siguro may nakita kang mas magandang paraan para mapakinabangan ang angking talino mo.God be with you!!i just wished it could have been sooner(probably even before you took up the case against erap)
kaffeine
September 30th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
like what noelet said, sayang si marcelo, magaling pa naman kaso bakit ngayon lang? he should have resigned a long time ago. di ko alam pano nya nasikmura ang gobyernong ‘to.
walandjo
October 1st, 2005 at 2:58 am
Ombudsman Marcelo may really sick to resign. Sick of Gloria, ha. Or baka just trying to avoid that time when as ombudsman he has to personally file charges and prosecute GMa for her so many abuses. Could be di ba.
Toro
October 1st, 2005 at 6:43 am
You will be missed Simeon Marcelo. Sayang, a good material for the Supreme Court ka pa naman. You have done a good job and brought honor to yourself for respecting the integrity of your profession and devotion to your duty where many have failed. May you recover your health soon so you can come back to continue your fight for justice. I wish you well. God bless.
kimosabe27
October 1st, 2005 at 1:58 pm
Surgeon General’s Warning: Association with Gloria is bad to your health!
Exposure to GMA may cause diabetes and hb pressure (NSA Norberto Gonzales), kleptomania (Arroyo father and son), irreversible moral turpitude (Bishop Capalla et. al), severe tunnel vision (Gen Singa et. al), irrational warmongering (Ermita and drafters of EO 464), early aging (Marcelo), pathological lying (Defensor and Bunye), regression to lower primate behavior (JDV and the 158 congressmen), carbuncles,furuncles, genital warts and erectile dysfunction (DOJ Sec.
Gonzales).
CGBacani
October 1st, 2005 at 2:05 pm
JUSTICE MARCELO’s decision to quit is a good example for people in government. After serving government for sometime and make a name of yourself. Tama na yun. Let others carry on the torch. If only our politicians will follow his example, then we don’t have political leaders that are aging and getting old and sees government service as their source of livelohood and to some extent the source of their wealth.
For instance, Gloria served the country as cabinet secretary, then as senator, vice president and now president. Pwede ba Madam, tama na yun.
baycas
October 2nd, 2005 at 7:14 am
ombudsman simeon’s good example tells people in government when to quit. if you’re sick it’s better to leave public office. on account of tongue-tie and selective amnesia (bunye’s), on account of heart ailment (norbert’s), on account of bulimia (to power and money) and obvious mental incapacity (gloria’s), etc.: i think you should all follow suit.
chismis: graft buster marcelo being asked to charge a member of Hyatt 10 (link below). so he quit.
http://thenewsboy.blogspot.com/2005/10/and-bitches-strike-back.html
vonpogi
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:10 am
NAG SASALITA NA NAMAN ANG MGA DEFENSOR LIKES MIKE AND MIRIAM. PURO HEARSAY LANG RIN ANG SINASABI NILA AT SA MGA SINASABI NILA AY MAS MARAMING TAONG BAYAN ANG GUSTONG GANOON MANGYARI KAY PANDAK MAGNANAKAW NA MAY MAG TANKA. SI MIRIAM TOPAK DEFENSOR AY MAHILIG SA SALITANG HEARSAY. PERO NGAYON AY GANOON LANG ANG MGA SINASABI NIYA. KUNG TOTOO AY BAKIT HINDI NIYA SABIHIN ANG PANGALAN NG NAG SUMBONG SA KANYA ( WALA? DAHIL GAWA GAWA LANG NILA IYUN PARA MAAWA ANG MGA TAO KAY ARROYO MAGNANAKAW, NAGKAKAMALI SILA DAHIL MAS NAKAKARAMI NA ANG GUSTONG MAALIS SI PANDAK MAGNANAKAW). HINDI PA NGA TAPOS ANG IMBISTIGA SA ANAK NI MIRIAM KUNG ANO TALAGA ANG NANGYARI , KUNG NAG PAKAMATAY BA OR SI MIRIAM ANG PUMATAY.???? SOBRANG TALINO PERO WALA RIN NAMAN NAGAGAWANG MABUTI SA BAYAN.
puretuts
October 9th, 2005 at 2:45 pm
I think Brod Simeol Marcelo has been pressure by Malacanang thru his former classmate/law partner and fraternity brod Atty Nonong Cruz. There was an alledged shouting match between the two.
Furthermore, Congressman Cagas is rumour or was recommended by some sector to the position. Parang magiging reward sa anti impeachment sa congress.
INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » Arroyo to name new Ombudsman
November 24th, 2005 at 2:24 pm
[…] THE President is set to name the new Ombudsman who will replace Simeon Marcelo, the former anti-graft czar who will leave his post on November 30. […]
INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » First female Ombudsman named
November 30th, 2005 at 7:15 pm
[…] Gutierrez, the first female Ombudsman, replaces Simeon Marcelo, whose resignation took effect today. The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) unanimously voted for her appointment. The Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) congratulated Gutierrez on her appointment but expressed concern over what it said was the haste with which the JBC picked the new ombudsman and the council’s closed-door deliberations and voting on the short-listed candidates. […]
noname
March 29th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
o.m.g.
dont judge the book by its cover….. im an avid fan of mr. marcelo… i do adore him for what he had done to our country…. he fought graft and corruption…. i know him personally, he’s a very low-profile person. so, plz stop judging him without knowing the real story behind his resignation. if you could only see whats his true feelings for our country, u will be so damn loving this person….