Ex-Ombudsman Gutierrez honored at Asia’s Influential Leaders Awards 2024
CONTINUING a seasoned and highly regarded public service career marked with remarkable contributions to the country and society, lawyer Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez has been chosen as a distinguished recipient of Asia’s Outstanding Integrity in Public Service Award.
The award was conferred on Gutierrez during the Asia’s Influential Leaders Awards 2024 at the Grand Ballroom in Okada Manila on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
The event, the first of its kind, honors outstanding and influential leaders from different categories who served as an innovator, a leader, and a pioneer in their chosen fields. The award-giving body also produced Asia’s Pinnacle Awards, Asia’s Modern Hero Awards and
Asia’s Golden Icons Awards.
“I thank the members of the Asia’s Influential Leaders Awards Council for this recognition. To be recognized for outstanding integrity in public service is heartwarming and humbling,” said Gutierrez, currently a member of the board of trustees of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
“More than a recognition, this award emboldens my resolve to continue my public service career, one that is rooted in compassion and love for the country and its people,” she added.
Gutierrez has carved her own niche in government as a respected public servant, holding notable positions throughout her decadeslong public service career.
She was named secretary of justice from November 2002 to January 2003 and again from December 2003 to August 2004.
In September 2004, she was appointed as chief presidential legal counsel of then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She then became the very first female ombudsman on Dec. 1, 2005.
Gutierrez was also the government lawyer in several celebrated extradition cases and represented the country in various local and international conferences on issues relating to women and children’s rights, criminal justice administration, refugee determination, and human rights.
In April 2023, the former ombudsman was appointed as a member of the board of trustees of the GSIS by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.