The Office of the Ombudsman’s legal internship program has enticed hundreds of applicants from different law schools all over the country, underscoring growing interest among young professionals in anti-corruption work and public service.

About 400 law students have applied to only 30 slots in the program set to start in June.

Assistant Ombudsman for Internal Affairs Luigi Bonoan highlighted that the internship program represents a lot more than vocational training.

“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,” AO Bonoan said.

The program features a carefully curated curriculum that blends practical legal training with mentorship from experienced investigators and prosecutors. 

Interns will participate in workshops, legal writing exercises, and real case work—shadowing actual anti-corruption investigations and gaining firsthand exposure to how complex fraud schemes are dismantled.

“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.

The internship program will run concurrently with the Office’s ongoing investigations into alleged anomalies in government infrastructure projects, providing interns with meaningful engagement in cases of significant national importance.

For Bonoan, the initiative reflects a broader commitment to institutional renewal in the anti-graft body. 

“We want to attract the brightest, most idealistic young minds. The ones who haven’t been worn down yet, who still believe that the system can work. If we can harness that energy and channel it toward fighting corruption, we’re not just solving crimes—we’re building a better institution and ultimately a better country,” Bonoan said.

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Public Information and Media Relations Bureau
Email: mediaaffairs@ombudsman.gov.ph
(+632) 5317-8300 local 1125