Aniano Aguilar Desierto (born April 25, 1935) is a former Ombudsman of the Republic of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

from 1995 to 2002.(1 August 2010)
Merceditas Gutierrez not the legitimate Ombudsman
, ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...

'', Retrieved December 8, 2010 He headed the Ombudsman Office which investigates all government officials who defy the law of conduct. He assumed the Office of the

Philippine Ombudsman The Ombudsman of the Philippines, also known as Tanodbayan ng Pilipinas, is an ombudsman responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption. Functions Under the 1 ...

on August 4, 1995, as the second person to head the post.

Personal life

Desierto was born on April 25, 1935, in Cebu City. He received his secondary education at the University of San Carlos (USC) in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Acc ...

, where he also obtained an Associate in Arts. He later obtained

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

and Bachelor of Law degrees at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

, Diliman in 1957, and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1958. Desierto also took up General Management and Marketing Courses at the

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

and a master's degree at the Philippine Christian University. Desierto was the Provincial Division Manager of the

Manila Broadcasting Company Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) is a radio and television network in the Philippines. MBC is currently owned by the FJE Group of Companies of Fred J. Elizalde, which also operates hotels and Pasay-based amusement park Star City. Its AM fl ...

and of the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company. He is married to Commissioner Teresita A. Desierto.

Career

From 1961 to 1974, Desierto was engaged in private law practice in Cebu and

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. He started his legal career in government when he was appointed as Judge Advocate, Office of the AFP Judge Advocate General in 1974. In 1988, he was appointed Deputy Judge Advocate General. He later served as The Special Prosecutor of the Prosecution Bureau of the Office of the Ombudsman from April 1, 1991, to August 3, 1995. On August 4, 1995, he was appointed Ombudsman by then

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

. He served until he retired, or "finish(ed) my term" as he stated it, in August 2002.Ubac, Michael Lim (3 August 2002)
Desierto going but not 'gently into that good night'
''

'', Retrieved December 8, 2010 He was criticized by some for not aggressively investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption. After he left office, he unsuccessfully sought a slot on the country's Supreme Court.Robles, Jojo
Pygmies in Robes
''

Manila Standard Today The ''Manila Standard'' is a broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines. , it is owned by the Romualdez family. The Romualdezes, through incumbent speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, also own Journal Publications, Inc., the owner of tabloid p ...

'', Retrieved December 8, 2010Palabrica, Raul J (30 June 2002
Crucial choice of next ombudsman
''

'', Retrieved December 8, 2010(29 October 1996)
Justice, Not Popularity, Is Ombudsman's Mission
''

'', Retrieved December 8, 2010

References

External links

Aniano Desierto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desierto, Aniano A. Living people 1935 births 20th-century Filipino judges Ombudsmen in the Philippines People from Cebu City University of San Carlos alumni University of the Philippines Diliman alumni Arroyo administration personnel Estrada administration personnel Ramos administration personnel Ateneo de Manila University alumni Philippine Christian University alumni

Personal life

Career

See also

References

External links