Is Morales

duty persuade her to serve the people again?

Aquino’s “Ombudsman”

Morales was the personal choice of President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino 3rd to become ombuds in his State of the Nation Address on July 25, 2011.

Even if she was a presidential appointee, she must be loyal to the people and not to the appointing power. Is she? There must be a reason Aquino picked Morales as ombudsman. She had reached the retirement age of 70 as an associate justice but she needed to get a new appointment, which happened to be as ombudsman.

Nevertheless, a poser remains. Where does Morales’ loyalty lie? Is she for Aquino or for the people that she was supposed to have sworn to serve?

- peared more to be on Aquino’s side, making her his ombudsman.

(There is enough time to correct this impression, which is wrong, and the responsibility to bring the to the President.)

The public has the right to know the real score behind the controversies surrounding the cases President Aquino.

Compensation

It could not have been money that attracted Morales back to service. Here’s why.

According to the Commission on Audit, as ombudsman, Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez received - man Orlando C. Casimiro was paid P1,182,808. Of the six assistant ombudsmen, Mary Susan Guilermo was the highest paid and the only millionaire, with compensation of P1,010,785.

At the Supreme Court, Morales topped all 15 justices in pays and perks. As one of 14 associate justices, she received P1,923,622 in 2010, even topping Chief Justice Renato Corona’s P1,832,620.

Morales got a lower basic salary of P616,680 than Gutierrez’s P787,811. [NOTE: WERE THE NUMBERS received more perks that totaled P1,306,942, almost twice the latter’s P569,564. Her pay of P1,306,942 in 2010 included allowances of P451,070, and bonus, Gutierrez’s P136,000 and P87,564, respectively.

Due Diligencer’s take

cooperative ombudsman that he probably saw only in Morales?

The question begs for an answer that only Morales can ably provide. As the ombudsman, she has the duty listen to reason and will not jump hastily into conclu Aquino, who waited for her to become available for a new appointment.

writer of this piece, I, too, am willing to listen to reason

Why did Morales downgrade of the charges against Aquino in the 2015 Mamasapano encounter where that he was the soldiers’ commander in chief.

Of course, there is also the question why Morales, as ombudsman, cleared Aquino of any responsibility over the illegal release of P72 billion under the now Only former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was in her charge sheet.

Finally, should Morales be loyal only to Aquino? Just asking.