Morales not in favor of Duterte’s lawyer as the next Ombudsman

Outgoing Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales does not think it is good for President Duterte’s personal lawyer, Edna Batacan, to be her successor.

Morales gave her opinion of Batacan as the next possible Ombudsman during an interview with ANC’s Headstart yesterday morning, when she was asked by host Karen Davila what would happen to criminal cases, especially if it involves the current administration’s Cabinet members.

When asked if Batacan is “deserving” to be her replacement, Morales replied, “Excuse me, I said in a previous interview that by her statement during the interview by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), she was digging her own grave. Because she said she was a victim. She was a participant of payoff.”

Morales explained that anybody who is a party to corruption is corrupt themselves. She added that “God forbid” if Batacan is indeed selected.

But Morales emphasized that the choice rests on the President. “Well, that’s his outlook. He will be judged by the people,” Morales said of Duterte’s possible selection of her successor.

Asked what qualities an Ombudsman must possess, she said: “You have to have competence. You have to have honesty. You have to have [industriousness]. If she has all these, go ahead please. But by all indications, my God! Look at her interview, You be the judge.”

When asked about her own personal preference as her successor, Morales refused to give an answer. “I don’t really know them that well,” she said.