The head of the Philippines’ anti-graft agency resigned from her job yesterday, avoiding an impeachment trial in the upper house of Congress, a potential distraction to government fighting to control rising food and fuel prices. Last month, the 285-member House of Representatives, dominated by allies of President Benigno Aquino, moved to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, perceived to be a major stumbling block to the government’s anti-corruption campaign.At a news conference, Gutierrez said she tendered her resignation to the president yesterday morning, effective on May 6, in the interest of the nation and her own family, insisting the charges against her were “baseless”. Her term ends next year. “As a government official, I must place first and foremost the interest of the nation, the interest of my office, and as a wife and as mother, my family,” Gutierrez said, adding she has remained loyal to the constitution and never to any politician.“By tendering my resignation, I hope we can now all focus on the problems of our people rather than spending so much time, efforts and resources to remove me from public office.”Aquino, who openly sought Gutierrez’s removal, said the resignation “has spared the country from a long and divisive impeachment process that would have distracted our lawmakers from dealing with the many problems we face today”.Gutierrez faced an impeachment trial for allegedly betraying the public trust when she allegedly sat on corruption complaints against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who appointed her in 2005 after serving twice as justice secretary.Arroyo and some members of her family had been accused of profiting from some government contracts, including a $329mn broadband deal with China’s ZTE Corp in 2007.Arroyo, who was president for nine years until June 2010, the longest term in power of any leader since democracy was restored in 1986, had denied any wrongdoing.Government officials and lawmakers welcomed Gutierrez’s decision, saying the impeachment process was not only highly division but would distract from their efforts to address rising inflation and unemployment and measures to fuel growth.“It’s a welcome development, we can now proceed with other important and urgent legislation,” Feliciano Belmonte, speaker of the lower house and a close ally of the president, said.“Thank you Merci for sparing us the long and arduous impeachment process,” said another Aquino ally, Senator Francis Pangilinan. “But, this is just one small step in the fight against corruption. We must not stop here.”Some opposition lawmakers criticised Guiterrez’s decision to quit. “A resignation in the face of an impending impeachment trial, albeit shakily anchored, is not an honorable exit as it is an admission of culpability,” Congressman Edcel Lagman said.