Former Ombudsman and Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales told graduates at the 115th Commencement Exercises of the University of the Philippines Diliman that it pains her to see lawmakers allegedly becoming lawbreakers. 

“As a magistrate, it pains me to see lawmakers alleged to be lawbreakers. Rules bent, redefined, or misinterpreted to suit individual or group interests,” Morales said in her commencement address, speaking to around 5,000 UP graduates.

Drawing on her decades of experience in the judiciary and public service, Morales contextualized the graduation theme, "Gumagalang" (Respect), by emphasizing the importance of the rule of law.

She stressed that the rule of law is the ‘backdrop’ of democracy but is increasingly being disregarded around the world, with the law, Morales said, being weaponized to serve political or personal interests. 

"Let us be reminded that, no matter how highly we regard ourselves, there is a higher order—the overarching rule of law," the former Ombudsman said, describing the law as the proverbial lighthouse that guides the nation as it charts the course of its history. 

Morales, however, asked the graduates if anyone could tell her what lawyers need.

"Maybe you should look at the proceedings in the Senate," she pointed out. 

Conchita Carpio-Morales earned her degrees in Economics and Law from the University of the Philippines AND began her legal career at the Atienza Tabora and Del Rosario Law Offices before joining the Department of Justice as a special assistant.

In 1983, she was appointed Regional Trial Court judge in Pili, Camarines Sur by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, reappointed as an RTC judge by former President Corazon Aquino in 1986 and later named Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 2002 by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Morales served as Ombudsman from 2011 to 2018 wherein she received the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award for her moral courage and commitment to justice, particularly for confronting corruption and promoting integrity, diligence, ethical leadership and accountability in public service.

Meanwhile, 5,022 graduates took part in the UP's commencement ceremony on Sunday at the University Amphitheater, where Morales took the opportunity to inspire the graduates to uphold respect for themselves, others, the law, and the nation. 

“In a world increasingly divided by arrogance, intolerance, and indifference, the call to 'gumalang' (respect) becomes not merely timely but urgent”, the former Ombudsman said.