Aquino to name new Ombudsman next week

Published July 15, 2011 1:03pm

President Benigno Aquino III will soon be announcing his choice for the next Ombudsman who will replace Merceditas Gutierrez, who was impeached by the House of Representatives in March and opted to resign in May. â€œBy next week I will tell you," the President told reporters Friday in a press briefing after the awarding of housing units to military and police personnel in Calamba, Laguna. On Thursday, Aquino met with two of the four candidates for the Ombudsman post. However, he did not name them. The four candidates chosen by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) were:

Supreme Court justice Conchita Carpio-Morales;

incumbent Justice Undersecretary Leah Armamento;

Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) commissioner Gerard Mosquera, and

former DOJ chief Artemio Tuquero. The President earlier said he cannot meet all the four candidates recommended for the post by the JBC, the body that vets and screen nominees, due to his busy schedule. The President has until August 4 to name the new Ombudsman. Under the 1987 Constitution, a sitting president is mandated to appoint the Ombudsman only from the shortlist prepared by the JBC 90 days after the position was vacated. Former Ombudsman Gutierrez resigned from her post in May, days before the Senate was scheduled to convene as an impeachment court to hear the complaints filed against her. - VVP/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: noynoyaquino, ombudsman