Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said she handed her letter of resignation, which will be effective May 6, to President Benigno Aquino III.

Aquino has pushed for her ouster, saying on various occasions that Gutierrez was an obstacle to his anti-corruption campaign.

Aquino said he was happy and thankful that Gutierrez stepped down, saying it would spare the country of a lengthy impeachment trial and allow Congress to deal with at least 20 priority bills to lift the economy and improve the lives of the people.

He said he told Gutierrez that “this fight is not personal” and that he made a promise when he assumed office last year to punish those who commit crimes against the people.

The president’s office released a picture of Gutierrez smiling as she signed her resignation letter in front of Aquino, who also was smiling. In her letter, she said that as a plain citizen, she “will continue working for good governance.”

The House of Representatives dominated by Aquino’s allies impeached Gutierrez last month based on complaints by several left-wing activists that she betrayed public trust and failed to investigate Arroyo, her husband and military and government officials suspected of corruption.

Gutierrez said she had prepared to prove the “falsity of the charges” against her at the Senate impeachment trial set to start in May, but decided instead to resign out of concern for the welfare of her family and the nation.

“The problems besetting our country demand a full-time Ombudsman and a full-time Congress,” she said. “At a time when the present administration is in its infancy and beset with more urgent problems, the last thing that the nation needs is for the House and the Senate to be embroiled in a long drawn-out impeachment proceeding against a single public official.”

Rep. Teddy Casino of the left-wing party Bayan Muna, which was among those who filed charges against Gutierrez, said that she not only showed “inexcusable neglect” in investigating charges against Arroyo administration officials but that she also sabotaged cases against the former president.

“This is one step forward in efforts at holding the previous administration officials for their acts of corruption,” he told The Associated Press.

Plunder complaints were filed against Arroyo with the Justice Department earlier this week by former Solicitor General Frank Chavez, who accused her of diverting 530 million pesos ($12.3 million) from a trust fund for overseas Filipino workers to boost her 2004 election campaign.

The Justice Department is still reviewing a previous plunder complaint that Arroyo ordered the sale of prime government property to a private developer but did not remit 72 million ($1.7 million) in capital gains tax.

Arroyo held power for nine years, surviving several coup attempts by disgruntled military officers and impeachment bids by the opposition, who accused her of corruption, election fraud and human rights abuses.

Arroyo has long denied wrongdoing but continues to be dogged by allegations of corruption and misrule. She stepped down last June and now serves in the House of Representatives.