The head of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) claimed that former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is ineligible to serve as a trustee due to not meeting the required qualifications at the time of her appointment.
The GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo A. Veloso submitted this finding in a letter dated April 11, 2024, addressed to the Executive Secretary and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin.
According to Veloso, the conclusion was reached following an investigation into a whistleblowing complaint received by the GSIS late March this year.
The anonymous complaint alleged that Gutierrez did not possess the mandatory qualifications under the GSIS Charter (RA No. 8291) when she was appointed to the GSIS Board in April last year.
"I respectfully submit to you the findings of the Government Service Insurance System (the 'GSIS') in relation to a whistleblowing complaint, which claimed that Trustee Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez failed to posses the mandatory qualifications required by the GSIS Charter (RA. . No. 8291) when she was appointed to the GSIS Board," Veloso said.
In his letter to Bersamin, Veloso shared a detailed timeline of events that unfolded from the initial receipt of an anonymous email to the completion of the investigation into Gutierrez's qualifications.
On March 28, 2024, he said that GSIS received an anonymous email questioning Gutierrez's qualifications at the time of her appointment to the GSIS Board. The email was also circulated to other government agencies.
Subsequently, on April 1, 2024, Veloso said he requested the GSIS' Core Business Sector (CBS) to provide copies of relevant records related to Gutierrez, which were promptly furnished.
On April 2, 2024, he said the GSIS' Legal Services Group was assigned the task of conducting a study to determine whether Gutierrez met the necessary qualifications at the time of her appointment.
Finally, on April 8, 2024, Veloso said his office received the legal study and briefing, along with supporting documents and an executive summary concerning Gutierrez's qualifications.
Gutierrez is a member of the GSIS Board representing the legal profession.