MANILA -- Outgoing Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Thursday dismissed criticism she applied "selective justice" during her 7-year stint as chief graft investigator.

Morales said her office filed charges against state officials, regardless of position or political affiliation, including 40 lawmakers tagged in the alleged misuse of "pork barrel" or discretionary funds.

She also noted the case filed against former President Benigno Aquino III over the use of savings to fast-track government spending, also known as the Disbursement Acceleration Program.

"Where is this claim of selective justice coming from? Is it selective when the law you applied sees neither political color nor political affiliation? Is it partial when all points have been heard and all points raised in the course of the processes were considered?" said Morales, who will step down this month.

"You be the judge. We can only defend our positions. For no matter how important public opinion is, we also do not fully operate on mere perceptions. There is law to always turn to," she said.

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President Rodrigo Duterte in August last year criticized the Office of the Ombudsman for "selective justice," saying it was "harsh on some, soft on others."

Some Ombudsman investigators are also corrupt, said the President, whose son-in-law, Mans Carpio, is Morales' nephew.

Morales said the conviction rate in cases filed by the Ombudsman rose to 77 percent in 2017 from 41 percent in 2011 while the case backlog during the same period went down to 6,000 from 19,000.

"We take governance seriously, and we don’t have the privilege to get away with blunder by dismissing it as jokes," she said.

Morales said she hoped her successor would sustain the reforms she initiated. The Judicial and Bar Council has interviewed candidates to replace her.

Applicants for Morales' post include Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Efren De La Cruz, former Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice and now Ombudsman Special Prosecutor Edilberto Sandoval, Judge Carlos Espero II, and lawyers Rey Nathaniel Ifurung, Rainier Madrid, Edna Batacan, Felito Ramirez, and Rex Rico.