Justice chief eyeing to be next Ombudsman
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday expressed interest in being appointed to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“I’m submitting my application [to the Judicial and Bar Council] before Friday, I think I have a lot to offer there,” he told reporters in a chance interview at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Based on the JBC’s announcement last May, the deadline for the submission of applications for Ombudsman is July 4, almost two weeks ahead of Samuel Martires’ retirement on July 27.
The JBC is a constitutional body that screens and nominates individuals for appointments to the judiciary.
It works under the supervision of the Supreme Court and is composed of Remulla himself as DOJ secretary and ex officio member, as well as Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo as ex officio chair, a representative of the Congress as ex officio member, and a representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, a professor of law, a retired member of the Supreme Court and a representative of the private sector.
“I think the JBC is in the best position to appreciate whatever I have to offer as Ombudsman,” Remulla said, adding that President Marcos has already been informed of his intent to apply as Ombudsman after the justice chief told a “mutual contact” that he was “very interested” in the position.
Fixed term
The Ombudsman is responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, including graft and corruption.
The Ombudsman and its other officials are appointed by the President from a list submitted by the JBC.
The position has a nonrenewable seven-year term. It is only through impeachment that the Ombudsman can be removed from office.
Remulla previously admitted suffering from complications after undergoing a heart bypass surgery in 2023.
After a prolonged absence of several months, he appeared at Malacañang on July 9, 2024, for the signing of the DOJ-National Prosecution Service’s Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure, laying down the guidelines for preliminary investigation on criminal charges.
Before that, he was last seen on March 4, 2024, when he announced that child and qualified human trafficking charges would be filed against televangelist Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Charged by Senate
Remulla is also facing criminal and administrative complaints before the Ombudsman filed by the Senate foreign relations committee, in connection with the March 11 arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Sen. Imee Marcos specifically recommended that Remulla be investigated for possible violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for “sanctioning/causing” an invalid administrative arrest against Duterte, as well as usurpation of judicial functions.
Despite the complaints, Remulla said there would be no conflict of interest in case he gets appointed Ombudsman.
“That should be fine. The JBC can always evaluate that properly,” he said.
Asked who would take over the DOJ if he leaves, Remulla said he already had a list of names but declined to disclose it.
“I think we are solidly organized here and it can stand on its own if the succession is okay,” he said.
Martires’ stint
The Office of the Ombudsman has been beset by controversy time and again—a political circumstance that prevailed also on the watch of Martires, an appointee of Duterte.
In 2020, Martires issued a memorandum circular that limited access to government officials’ statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.
That issue drew flak from critics who pointed out Duterte’s actions to the contrary, such as when he issued Executive Order No. 2—only his second directive as president—providing for a mechanism on freedom of information in government.
In December 2024, Martires said his office had “no jurisdiction” to investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s assassination threat against President Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Martires expressed that position when asked about Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres’ statement that the Vice President “is not immune from suit and she can be subject of any criminal and administrative case” within the Ombudsman’s authority.
Last month, the Ombudsman ordered Duterte and nine other officials from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she used to head, to respond to complaints initiated by the House of Representatives over her alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Martires, however, drew skepticism over that move, made only about a month before his retirement. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH AND PNA
