Roque says he would have applied for ombudsman post

MANILA, Philippines — The president’s mouthpiece on Thursday admitted that he wanted to apply for the ombudsman post.

Had he known that Solicitor General Jose Calida would not vie for the post to be vacated by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on July 26, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that he would have applied for the position.

“I would have wanted. I would have loved that post,” Roque said in an interview on ANC’s “Headstart.”

He, however, acknowledged that it is too late to apply now.

The Judicial Bar Council on Wednesday quizzed the nine applicants vying for the country’s next corruption buster, asking them about their backgrounds, intentions in applying and positions on various issues.

READ: How the applicants for ombudsman stand on issues

In the same interview, Roque said that he believes Edna Herrera-Batacan—who represented President Rodrigo Duterte in a case in 2010—along with Associate Justice Samuel Martires and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello are the frontrunners for the ombudsman post.

Roque, a former human rights advocate, was a Kabayan Party-list representative prior to his stint as the chief executive’s spokesperson.

He previously expressed intent to run for senator in the 2019 midterm polls but said that he did not have the means to do so.