New Ombudsman Carpio-Morales takes oath

Photo from the Twitter account of deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte

MANILA, Philippines—Retired Supreme Court associate justice Conchita Carpio-Morales took her oath of office as the new Ombudsman before President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Wednesday.

Aquino announced Carpio-Morales’ appointment during his second State of the Nation Address before a joint session of Congress on Monday.

Carpio-Morales vowed to perform her duties and responsibilities and uphold the Philippine Constitution during her oath-taking at the Malacañang President’s Hall.

Aquino expressed confidence that Carpio-Morales will be able to do her function as Ombudsman as mandated by the Constitution.

“We now have confidence that the Ombudsman will be doing the function for which the office was set up,” the President said in an ambush interview following the formal opening of the 2011 National Science and Technology week at the SMX Convention Center of the Mall of Asia on Wednesday in Pasay City.

Joining Carpio-Morales in the oath taking rites were her husband Eugenio T. Morales, Jr., and her two sons, Eugenio III and Umberto.

Also present were former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad and Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Before her appointment as Ombudsman, Carpio-Morales served as associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Born on June 19, 1941, in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Carpio-Morales is the daughter of Judge Lucas D. Carpio and Maria Claudio.

Carpio-Morales started her career in a Manila law firm where she was an Assistant Attorney. From 1971 to 1983, she worked at the Department of Justice as assistant, lawyer, researcher, assistant special lawyer and senior state counsel before she became a judge.

Between 1983 to1986 she was appointed by then president Ferdinand Marcos as a trial court judge in Pili, Camarines Sur.

On November 4, 1986, former president Corazon Aquino appointed her as trial court judge in Pasay City.

In 1994, Carpio-Morales was appointed by President Fidel V. Ramos to the Court of Appeals where she headed the 7th Division of the CA.

On September 3, 2002, upon the unanimous endorsement of the members of the Judicial and Bar Council, she was appointed to the Supreme Court by former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Merceditas Gutierrez resigned as Ombudsman in April days before her impeachment trial at the Senate was to start over her alleged failure to act on several high-profile graft cases during the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.