Morales hopes successor will ‘sustain’ reforms at Ombudsman

Outgoing Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales appealed to her successor on Thursday to continue the reforms she had introduced during her seven-year term as the government’s lead anti-corruption watchdog.

“If the next leadership would not turn the current order of the existing initiatives, please let it not be reinvented. We believe in the reforms that have been instituted, to see them sustained until their impact can be harnessed is a dream for this transitioning leadership,” Morales said at a forum in Pasig City.

Morales is retiring this July 26.

In her speech, Morales touted several achievements of the Office of the Ombudsman such as its reduced backlog of around 6,000 pending cases from a high of more than 19,000 when she assumed office.

She also presented the enhanced transparency and accountability of the Ombudsman, and the introduction of a system for the filing of electronic Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

Further, Morales said the Ombudsman has secured a conviction rate of 68 percent in 2016 in its cases filed against erring public officials at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

Selective justice?

Morales again rebuked claims of selective justice against her, mentioning the cases against former President Benigno Aquino III and former Budget and Management chief Florencio “Butch” Abad.

“This office has recently indicted higher-ranking officials involved in controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, or the DAP case. Where is this claim of selective justice coming from?” Morales said.

“Is it selective when our decisions are challenged in courts, which mostly affirm our decisions? No matter how important public opinion is, we obviously cannot fully operate on mere perceptions,” she added.

Morales had signed a resolution on June 14 finding probable cause to indict Aquino and Abad for usurpation of legislative powers before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the P72-billion DAP.

Corruption from within

Meanwhile, Morales said the Ombudsman recognizes that even some its personnel were involved in corruption, but said the anti-graft office has investigated and filed appropriate charges against one of its own.

“The Office of the Ombudsman is not without faults, but the difference is its boldness to own up to its mistakes. We take governance seriously, and we don't have the privilege to get away with blunders by dismissing it as jokes. We know how to rectify errors and we respect third party opinions,” she said.

Morales, however, advised her successor to take care of the Ombudsman’s personnel. She likewise thanked her supporters and urged them to continue their fight for good governance.

“As the fifth Ombudsman, I am confident of the reforms and the people I will be leaving behind. I always advise our people to never let external and internal pressures sway their conviction,” Morales said.

“To the public, you as our partners, thank you for not wavering. The office is a tough job but you did not hesitate. Since the dawn of my term, there has been outstanding assistance. In the coming years, I hope you will be the same unfaltering advocates of good governance. Do not abandon the institution,” she added. — RSJ, GMA News