Ombudsman and retired Supreme Court justice Conchita Carpio Morales should really have nothing more to prove. Her decades in public service — Department of Justice, 1971-83; Regional Trial Courts, 1983-94; Court of Appeals, 1994-2002; Supreme Court, 2002-11, and Ombudsman since — speak for themselves, along with her awards and distinctions as a magistrate and as Ombudsman.

This past year, however, Morales has taken pains to show that she is not playing politics in her graft-busting work, especially against Vice-President Jejomar Binay and his family. Of late, Morales has gone on a flurry of dismissals of administration officials on corruption charges, including Aquino ally Capiz Gov. Victor Tanco Sr., as well as mid-level functionaries in some agencies, including 19 police officers.