Ombudsman to keep hands off Duterte-related cases

MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Thursday said she will be inhibiting from cases involving presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte and his family due to her ties with them.

At a televised press conference, Morales said her brother's son, Mans Carpio, is the husband of Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor-elect Sara Duterte. The younger Duterte and Morales's nephew are both lawyers.

Despite the announcement, Morales said she has been inhibiting from cases involving the incoming first family.

"I have been inhibiting in cases involving the Dutertes, involving Sara, involving presumptive president-elect Duterte even before he became a presumptive president-elect," she said.

Morales, however, said she will not go out of her way to congratulate the newly elected leader even as many government officials have already paid him a courtesy visit.

"Kung may pagkakataon, may personal na pagkakataon, I will certainly greet him, but for me to go out of my way going to Davao to personally congratulate him, I will not do that, it will be given a color," she said.

Other officials of the anti-graft agency are expected to look into and handle cases involving the Dutertes.

On May 5, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV filed a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Duterte, then a front-running presidential candidate.

Trillanes accused Duterte of maintaining 11,000 ghost employees in Davao City government in 2014. The senator said the mayor paid P708 million for the services of the alleged ghost employees.

Reacting to Trillanes's claims, Duterte's spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, had said his camp will file libel and perjury charges against Trillanes after the elections.