JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday said there is no longer a need for the Aquino administration to push for the creation of the Truth Commission to investigate allegations of graft and corruption during the Arroyo administration.

De Lima made the statement a day after the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed with finality its ruling declaring Executive Order (EO) 1, creating the Truth Commission, unconstitutional.

De Lima said the appointment of retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales as Ombudsman would ensure prosecution of those involved in various anomalies committed by the past administration.

“Since we have a new Ombudsman, we are hoping for the best—for the Office of the Ombudsman to really faithfully discharge its mandate this time. So it seems we will no longer need another body [to investigate anomalies of the previous administration],” she stressed.

De Lima noted that the results of the investigations conducted by another body would also end up with the Office of the Ombudsman, which has the final say on cases involving public officials and officers.

She also praised the President for choosing Carpio-Morales as the new Ombudsman, replacing former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned from her post on May 6.

“She’s the best choice for such a crucial post. No doubt. She’s made of the right stuff, both morally and cerebrally, to hurdle the challenges which inhere in such post,” de Lima said.

In affirming the unconstitutionality of EO 1, the SC held that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) failed to raise new arguments that would warrant the reversal of its December 7, 2010, ruling.

The Court, in the said ruling, held that EO 1 violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution as it singles out for investigation the report of graft and corruption in the previous administration.