appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Agence France-Presse

The Philippines’ top graft-buster, a fearless grandmother who has sued politicians from the president down in her quest to rid her country of corruption, laughs in the face of death threats – literally.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, 75, chuckled as she recounted how she was reluctantly obliged to put up a higher fence around her house after a grenade with her initials on it was discovered by her property in 2012.
Can tough-on-crime Rodrigo Duterte begin to root out endemic corruption in the Philippines?
“I’m not scared,” she said, her eyes flashing as she thumped her hand on the desk in her office.
The people she investigates “are the ones who are intimidated – that’s why they are trying to scare me”.

She [Morales] is, quite simply, an inspiring public servant
Judges of the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Fighting corruption is dangerous work in the graft-plagued Philippines, where witnesses – even judges – are gunned down and convicted politicians are freed and re-elected.
After four decades in the country’s notoriously corrupt judiciary, Morales was looking forward to retirement when former president Benigno Aquino asked her to head a special body to prosecute corrupt officials as part of his centrepiece anti-graft crusade.
On Wednesday, her “moral courage and commitment to justice in taking head-on one of the most intractable problems in the Philippines”, is set to be recognised when she will be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award – Asia’s version of the Nobel.

“She is, quite simply, an inspiring public servant,” the judges said.
Born into a family of honest lawyers, Morales had a slow and tricky rise through the ranks due to her incorruptibility, but finally made it to the Supreme Court, where she became the first female magistrate to swear in a president in 2010.
A tireless worker, she now puts in 12-hour days, six days a week at the Ombudsman – Sundays are reserved for the grandchildren – and her discipline is credited with boosting the office’s conviction rate to 75 per cent from just 41 per cent when she took office in 2011.
Journalist Hu Shuli and environment lawyer win 'Asia's Nobel', the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Despite progress under Aquino, fighting “endemic” corruption in the Philippines is an uphill battle, she said, adding that corruption flourishes when people think they can get away with it.
“We file cases against top government officials,” she said.
When the “so-called sacred cows are indicted, that should give a signal to people to be more cautious,” she added.

Her biggest frustration came when the Supreme Court freed ex-president Gloria Arroyo and powerful former senator Juan Ponce Enrile despite what Morales insists was solid evidence of graft.
The pair had pleaded ill-health for years and were detained in government hospitals but it was all an act, Morales said: “after you are free ... you swagger!”
‘Superattainers’: Philippine firm hails leadership skills of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Marcos
Her tenaciousness has earned her many enemies, including former vice president Jejomar Binay, who called her “stupid” after she charged him with taking huge kickbacks when he was mayor.
But she argues the Philippines’ culture of political patronage is allowing top leaders to evade accountability.

“They act like they’re Robin Hood,” she said.
When her son died of cancer at 41 last year, some of her more unpleasant critics used the personal tragedy to attack her.
“They said it was my karma. See how cruel people are?” she said, adding that she was however “made of strong stuff”.
Morales, who is not due to step down until 2018, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte, but said her agency will remain impartial.
“We do not take orders from anyone. We are independent. Period.”


Philippine court order over Marcos’ health raises constitutional question

ICC chamber rules case against Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs killings to proceed

Philippine lawmakers examine gap in Sara Duterte’s bank statements, declared wealth

Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

Rodrigo Duterte

She laughs in the face of death threats: meet the fearless grandma taking on corrupt Philippine politicians

Conchita Carpio-Morales, who is not due to step down until 2018, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte, but said her agency will remain impartial. Photo: AFP

epa05439841 Former Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo waves during the opening session prior to The State of the Nation Address of President Duterte at the Philippine Congress building in Quezon City, east of Manila, Philippines, 25 July 2016. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 25 July, as thousands of activists are expected to hold demonstrations in support of the new president. EPA/MARK R. CRISTINO

The Ramon Magsaysay 2016 awardees pose for photographers after a press briefing in metro Manila, Philippines August 27, 2016. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is given to persons who have contributed to and improved human development in Asia. In photo from L-R: Indonesia - Imam Rulyawan, Ahmad Juwani, Ismail Agus Said, Thodur Madabusi Krishna of India, Bezwada Wilson of India, Philippines Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, Japan - Rina Tanaka, Kenza Iwaram and Kenichi Kobota. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

This picture taken on August 23, 2016 shows Philippine Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales looking through paperwork at the Office of the Ombudsman in Manila. After four decades in the country's notoriously corrupt judiciary, Morales was looking forward to retirement when former president Benigno Aquino asked her to head a special body to prosecute corrupt officials as part of his centrepiece anti-graft crusade. On August 31, her "moral courage and commitment to justice in taking head-on one of the most intractable problems in the Philippines," is set to be recognised when she will be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award - Asia's version of the Nobel. / AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: "PHILIPPINES-CORRUPTION-POLITICS" / FEATURE by Ayee Macaraig

President Benigno Aquino III, center, takes his oath before Supreme Court Associated Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as the Philippines' 15th President during inaugural ceremony Wednesday June 30, 2010 in Manila, Philippines. Aquino, the only son of Philippine democracy icons, the late President Corazon Aquino and assassinated opposition leader Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., won by a landslide in the May 10 automated presidential elections. At right holding the Holy Bible is Jesuit priest Father Catalino Arevalo. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Philippines’ top graft-buster Conchita Carpio-Morales, a Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte


She laughs in the face of death threats: meet the fearless grandma taking on corrupt Philippine politicians

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Philippines’ top graft-buster Conchita Carpio-Morales, a Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte

Philippines’ top graft-buster Conchita Carpio-Morales, a Ramon Magsaysay Award-winner, will continue her work under new President Rodrigo Duterte