The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — About 400 law students applied for the Office of the Ombudsman's legal internship program. The applicants, who came from different law schools in Metro Manila, applied for a total of 30 slots in the program, which will start in June. "It is a deliberate investment in shaping the country's next generation of public servants. This is nation-building. We're honing their idealism, showing them that government can actually do something right, that there is hope," Assistant Ombudsman for Internal Affairs Luigi Bonoan said in a statement Thursday. The Office of the Ombudsman said Wednesday that it was sifting through over 3,500 applications to join it. These applications were for 114 permanent posts in the anti-graft body's central office as well as its offices in the Visayas and Mindanao. "It says that a lot of people believe in what we're doing here. People want to be part of the good fight," Bonoan said. The Office of the Ombudsman opened posts for lawyers and non-lawyers for, it said, a multidisciplinary approach against corruption. "It can't just be legal and purely investigatory. We want specialized people. We want engineers, accountants, even medical professionals," Bonoan said. "We're not just looking to fill positions. We're looking to build a strong organization. The best way to do that is to get the best people." The program included mentorship from experienced investigators and prosecutors. "We're demonstrating that they have the power to make this country better. These students are going to remember this internship for the rest of their careers. They'll remember that the government did something right, that there were people fighting the good fight," Bonoan said.
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