Special Prosecutor Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo named acting Ombudsman

Malacañang has designated Special Prosecutor and former Court of Appeals presiding justice Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo as acting Ombudsman, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Monday.

Punzalan-Castillo will temporarily run the anti-graft agency following the retirement of Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Sunday, July 27.

She has been the Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman since October 2024.

Punzalan-Castillo was named CA associate justice in 2004. In November 2023, she was elevated to the position of presiding justice. She left the judiciary in September 2024 after reaching the retirement age of 70.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will select Martires' successor from the shortlist of candidates provided by the Judicial and Bar Council.

Malacañang has said the next Ombudsman should be brave and fair in his job. 

The Ombudsman serves a fixed term of seven years without reappointment. —VBL, GMA Integrated News