Ex-Court of appeals justice named OIC Ombudsman
While President Marcos has yet to appoint a new Ombudsman who will serve for the next seven years, he has named Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo as officer in charge (OIC) of the antigraft body, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told reporters on Monday.
She temporarily fills the vacancy left by Ombudsman Samuel Martires, who retired on July 27 after completing his seven-year term.
Punzalan-Castillo is the current Ombudsman special prosecutor, whose main responsibility is to conduct preliminary investigations and prosecute criminal cases within the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan.
Legal career
Punzalan-Castillo, whose legal career spans over four decades, finished her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1974 and 1978, respectively, from the University of the Philippines, and passed the Bar in 1979.
She started as an investigator in the Office of the Tanodbayan—the precursor of the Office of the Ombudsman—in 1979, when she was only 25 years old. She held the position until 1985, when she was appointed prosecutor in the same office.
In 1989, she was promoted to Special Prosecution Officer III in the Office of the Special Prosecutor where she served for four years.
She joined the judiciary in 1993, first as presiding judge of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Quezon City and, later, as presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City from 1999 to 2004.
As RTC judge, she also acted as special court judge for cases involving drugs from 2000 to 2001, and as a family court judge of the same court from 2001 to 2004.
On March 9, 2004, she was appointed as Court of Appeals associate justice and retired as presiding justice immediately prior to her appointment as special prosecutor in the Office of the Ombudsman in 2024.
Punzalan-Castillo is serving her term as the Ombudsman’s 8th special prosecutor until 2031.
17 applicants
According to Bersamin, the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has yet to submit a shortlist of names to the President from which he will choose the new Ombudsman.
The JBC opened the application and recommendation process for the next Ombudsman from May 20 to July 4. A total of 17 applicants, among them justices and former government officials, are vying for the post. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
