Rody’s female ex-lawyer vies for ombudsman post

President Duterte’s former lawyer is challenging his preference to pick a man as the next ombudsman.

Edna Herrera-Batacan, who was counsel for Duterte in cases he faced when still mayor of Davao City, is vying for the position to be vacated by Conchita Carpio-Morales in July despite the reported pronouncement of the President that he does not want the next ombudsman to be a woman.

Batacan is the only female among 10 aspirants for the position to head the Office of the Ombudsman, according to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC)’s initial list of applicants obtained by The STAR.

She successfully defended Duterte before the Sandiganbayan in the graft charges for the demolition of a canal cover project in Davao City. It was a complaint filed against him by former House speaker Prospero Nograles.

Duterte was acquitted by the anti-graft court in April 2011.

Just like the Chief Executive, she is a product of San Beda University law school where she has been teaching over the past three decades.

Apart from Duterte, Batacan also served as lawyer of former first gentleman Mike Arroyo in the graft cases involving the anomalies in the Philippine National Police’s helicopter and the national broadband network-ZTE deals.

Associate Justice Samuel Martires, the former Sandiganbayan magistrate who penned the decision acquitting Duterte in the case, is also applying for the ombudsman post.

Three other members of the judiciary are vying for the post – Sandiganbayan Justice Efren de la Cruz, Special Prosecutor and former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval and Davao City Regional Trial Court Judge Carlos Espero II.

Also among the candidates is Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who previously served as justice secretary and solicitor general as well as chair of the government peace talks panel.

Duterte’s law school classmate Rex Rico and fraternity brother Felito Ramirez are also applying for ombudsman, along with lawyers Rey Ifurung and Rainier Madrid.

The JBC will publish the names of the 10 applicants for the ombudsman post to invite opposition or nomination of support from the public, before proceeding with the public interviews.

Two other Supreme Court (SC) justices were nominated for the post – Presbitero Velasco Jr. and Teresita Leonardo-de Castro – but both declined the nominations.