SUPREME Court (SC) Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales on Tuesday expressed interest to be appointed as successor of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned from her post on May 6 before the Senate could start with the impeachment proceedings against her.

Morales was nominated to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for the Ombudsman’s post by Beda Fajardo, president of the University of the Philippines Law Alumni Association Class ’68; retired Judge Dolores Español, chairman of the Transparency International Philippines; and retired Judge Leticia Sablan, president of the Women Lawyers’ Association of the Philippines Inc.

Morales, who is set to retire from the SC on June 19, has given her conformity with the nominations.

It can be recalled that Morales was the one who penned the Court’s ruling issued on February 15 which gave the House Committee on Justice the go-signal to proceed with the impeachment proceedings against Gutierrez.

The decision dismissed the claim of Gutierrez that she was denied due process by the respondent members of the House Committee on Justice when it declared sufficient in form and substance the two impeachment complaints filed against her.

Her pending impeachment proceedings led Gutierrez to leave her post a year before her seven-year term ends.

Morales was also personally chosen by President Aquino to administer his oath of office last year.   

Aside from Morales, other applicants and nominees for the post are former solicitor general Frank Chavez, Free Legal Assistance Group national chairman and La Salle University-College of Law dean Jose Manuel Diokno, Court of Appeals Associate Justice Portia Aliño Hormachuelos, deputy Ombudsman Apostol Pelagio, Judge Amelia Infante, Judge Divinagracia Ongkeko, former Justice secretary Artemio Tuquero, former Ambassador Roy Señeres, Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares, and Assistant Solicitor General Renan Ramos;

Lawyers Alfredo Agawa, Ernesto Francisco, Raymundo Francisco, Harry Roque, Marlon Manuel, Howard Calleja, Felix Carao Jr., Francis Jardeleza, Abdullah Mama-O, Gerard Mosquera, Rodolfo Robles and Florencio Villarin.

Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, human-rights lawyer Arno Sanidad, Ombudsman prosecutor Wilbert Candelaria and lawyer Maria Theresa Acosta-Pinto have declined their respective nominations.

The JBC is a constitutional body that is mandated to screen nominees and applicants for vacancies in the judiciary and the Office of the Ombudsman.

It is also tasked to provide Malacañang a shortlist of nominees for the post within 90 days upon occurrence of vacancy.