Duterte slams Ombudsman for 'corruption, selective justice'

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday accused the Office of the Ombudsman of corruption and selective justice, citing its alleged bias for certain camps facing complaints at the agency. 

Speaking before new presidential appointees, Duterte said he was once accused before the Office of the Ombudsman and that it took a while before he was able to clear his name.

The Ombudsman handles cases against government officials. 

"Corrupt rin talaga 'yan sila, 'yang mga imbestigador sa Ombudsman, I'm telling you," Duterte said in a speech in Malacañang. 

Duterte even slammed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, his "balae," for failing to act on complaints swiftly and with "cold neutrality." 

Morales' nephew, Mans Carpio, is married to Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. 

"It seems that the Office of the Ombudsman has mastered the art of selective justice: harsh on some, soft on others even if they all suffer from similar and analogous circumstances," he said.

Duterte even questioned why the Ombudsman allowed some lawmakers accused in the multibillion-peso "pork barrel" scam to post bail while not allowing the others.

"The enemy of the Ombudsman's friend is the Ombudsman's enemy, too, so it's seems. This is how I see it from where I stand," the President added.

He challenged Morales, an appointee of former President Benigno Aquino III set to retire in 2018, to go beyond friendship bonds and to live up to her mandate. 

In July, Morales ordered Aquino charged for his alleged role in the planning and execution of the botched anti-terror raid in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015, where 44 elite police commandos ended up dead. 

"Let the remaining months of your incumbency be truly reflective of your mandate to do justice to everyone without favor and bias," said the President.

Duterte previously lashed out at Morales for criticizing him over his habit of threatening to kill drug suspects.

Morales, for her part, has maintained the she has been independent in her decisions and is not biased towards anyone.