Conchita Carpio-Morales

Conchita Claudio Carpio-Morales (born June 19, 1941) is the current Ombudsman of the Philippines. She was previously an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

Carpio-Morales is married to Eugenio T. Morales, Jr., with whom she has two sons, Eugenio III and Umberto (d. 2015).

She was born on June 19, 1941 in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. She is the daughter of Lucas D. Carpio, a judge, and Maria Claudio Carpio.

In 1964, Carpio-Morales earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. In 1968, she earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines College of Law, also at UP Diliman.

From 1968 to 1971, she started her career in a Manila law firm where she was an Assistant Attorney. In 1971, a former University of the Philippines professor of Carpio-Morales, Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos, took her in as a Special Assistant at the Department of Justice. From 1971 to 1983, Carpio-Morales worked at the Department of Justice as assistant, lawyer, researcher, assistant special lawyer and senior state counsel before she became a judge.

Between 1983 and 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed Carpio-Morales as a Regional Trial Court judge in Pili, Camarines Sur. On November 4, 1986, President Corazon Aquino appointed Carpio-Morales as RTC judge in Pasay City.

In 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos appointed her to the Philippine Court of Appeals. She headed the 7th Division of the Court of Appeals.

In 2000, Carpio-Morales was a bar examiner in legal ethics. She was also conferred the Ulirang Ina Award for Law and the Judiciary by the National Mother's Day & Father's Day Foundation, Inc.

On August 26, 2002, upon the unanimous endorsement of the members of the Judicial and Bar Council, Carpio-Morales was appointed to the high court by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Traditionally, it is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines who administers the oath of office to the incoming President and the Vice President, however, incoming President Benigno Aquino III refused to allow Chief Justice Renato Corona to swear him into office, due to Aquino's opposition to the midnight appointment of Corona by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 elections and a month before Arroyo's term expires. Instead, Aquino formally requested Associate Justice Carpio-Morales, who opposed the midnight appointment of Corona, to swear him into office. On June 30, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay took the oath of office at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila. The oath of office was administered by Associate Justice Carpio-Morales, who officially accepted Aquino's request to swear him into office, reminiscent of the decision of Aquino's mother, President Corazon Aquino, who in 1986, was sworn into the presidency by Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee. She is also the first female magistrate to administer the oath of office of the President of the Philippines

On July 25, 2011, during his State of the Nation Address, President Noynoy Aquino announced the appointment of Carpio-Morales as Ombudsman of the Philippines.

Carpio-Morales is the cousin of Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

In 2016, Carpio-Morales, together with two individuals from India, and 3 organizations from Indonesia, Japan and Laos were among the awardees of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards. Morales was given the award, citing her "moral courage and commitment to justice", according to the organizing Ramon Magsaysay Foundation.

• John Hay Peoples Alternative Coalition v. Lim (2003) — on authority of the President to grant tax exemptions without congressional authorization
• Francisco v. House of Representatives (2003) — on the impeachment resolution against Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.
• La Bugal- B’Laan Tribal Association, Inc. v. Ramos I (2004) and II (2004) - Dissenting — on the constitutionality of the Mining Act of 1995 (Dissent joined by J. Ynares-Santiago)
• Tecson v. COMELEC (2004) - Dissenting — on the nationality of presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr. (joined by J. Quisumbing and Corona)
• Central Bank Employees v. BSP (2004) - Dissenting — on claims for wage increases of government employees in accordance with equal protection clause even absent enabling legislation
• CSC v. DBM (2005) — on fiscal autonomy of Civil Service Commission
• Yuchengco v. Sandiganbayan (2006) — on the recovery of shares of stock in PLDT as part of the ill-gotten wealth of Ferdinand Marcos
• Senate v. Ermita (2006) — on validity of presidential ban prohibiting executive officials testifying before legislative inquiries without presidential consent
• Santos-Concio v. Department of Justice (2008) — on the DOJ's conduct of preliminary investigation of the Wowoweee stampede incident
• Trillanes IV v. Pimentel, Sr. (2008) — on the general and blanket request of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is detained for rebellion charges, to attend Senate Sessions
• The Province of North Cotabato v. Republic (2008) - "on the unconstitutionality of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain Aspect (MOA-AD) of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Tripoli Agreement on Peace of 2001
• Topacio v. Ong (2008) - "on the qualification status of Justice Gregory Ong as Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan
• Strategic Alliance Development Corporation v. Radstock Securities Ltd. (2009) - Concurring — on the multi-billion peso compromise agreement between Radstock Securities Limited and Philippine National Construction Corporation
• De Castro v. Judicial and Bar Council - Dissenting(March 2010) and - Dissenting(April 2010) — on the President's power to appoint the Chief Justice vis-a-vis the Constitutional prohibition against appointments during the presidential election period.