Joseph Tristan Roxas (GMA News)
March 21, 2019
Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales is urging Filipinos to demand honesty from candidates running in the May elections, or risk ending up with “fake public servants.”
“If we do not exact or demand honesty in our candidates, we might end up voting for fake public servants who are dishonest and will betray the public trust for personal gain,” Morales said in statement on Thursday.
Morales gave the remark on behalf of the Akademyang Filipino board of trustees as it weighs in on making honesty a criteria for candidates.
The former lead anti-corruption watchdog said no less than the Constitution requires honesty from public officials, calling the mandate “a matter of oath derived from legal sources, not a matter of option driven by market forces.”
“The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service,” Morales said, quoting the 1986 Constitution.
“Upholding the Constitution is part of every public officer’s oath of office.”
Morales made no reference on who she was referring to, but her niece-in-law, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, recently became controversial when she said that “honesty is not an issue” in the May 13 elections and that everybody lies.
Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, said her statement only aimed to help the opposition candidates due to their poor showing in pre-election surveys. —KBK, GMA News