New Ombudsman Remulla: Prosecution coming to those who deserve it

Newly appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday vowed to prosecute those who deserve it, as the country’s top prosecutor.

Remulla made the response after receiving criticisms from those allied with former President Rodrigo and others who viewed his appointment as something that prompts vigilance.

“My record will speak for itself. Wala akong sinisino talaga (For me there is no sacred cow). I think that no SOJ (Secretary of Justice) has sent more powerful people to jail than or to where they should be, than us, during our court of duty,” Remulla said in an interview with Super Radyo DZBB.

“Hindi ako nangangako pero ang tingin ko, doon tayo papunta talaga: na ‘yung mga dapat usigin, usigin natin,” Remulla added.

(I am not promising anything but our direction is clear: Those who deserve to be prosecuted will be prosecuted.)

Remulla beat six other shortlisted candidates for the post when he was appointed as the new Ombudsman by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday.

The others on the shortlist included former Commission on Audit chairperson and Philippine Competition Commission chairperson Michael Aguinaldo, former Court of Appeals Associate Justice Stephen Cruz, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, among others. 

The former Justice secretary also said that under his watch, the Ombudsman will conduct prompt investigations and case build-up, as well as ensure that the evidence that they will present before the Sandiganbayan or any court of law is sufficient for conviction.

“We already did it in the DOJ (Department of Justice). We were able to speed up the timeline on investigation and case build-up. But that is not to say that the work was rushed. But most of the time, we were able to do our job fast,” he said.

“The philosophy is, when we file a case in court, we are ready to present our evidence. The test that we have to make is that based on the evidence that we have, kaya bang i-convict 'yung mga i-charge mo sa korte? Kasi kung 'di mo rin kaya i-convict, huwag mo mo na i-file ang kaso, ayusin mo muna 'yung ebidensiya na iyong ipe-presenta,” he added.

(Is your evidence good enough or a conviction? If you can't convict, don't file the case yet. Make sure the evidence is airtight first.)

Marshals

Legislation wise, Remulla said he will ask Congress to pass a law that would grant the Ombudsman the authority to deploy marshals as part of its Enforcement Group so the office can secure a search warrant without such efforts leaking to unscrupulous individuals.

“Kasi ang problema talaga ngayon, ‘yung singawan ng mga search warrants, ‘yung mga singawan ng mga proseso, ay napakalakas. That's only one idea that's been floated to me. Actually, ang nag-float sa akin niyan, isang kaibigan natin sa legislature na marahil, baka kailangan na ng Ombudsman marshals, parang judicial marshals, na mag-carry out ng iba-iba activities para sa Ombudsman’s office.

(The problem now is really the leaks. Search warrants, and other parts of the process are being leaked. It has been floated to me by a friend in Congress, that the Ombudsman might need marshals like judicial marshals who would carry out other activities for the Ombudsman's office.)

Remulla will serve as Ombudsman until 2032 because the Ombudsman has a fixed seven-year term.

He can be removed via an impeachment, just like the President, Vice President and other heads of Constitutional offices. 

OVP probe

Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers party-list said the Ombudsman’s investigation into the use of P612.5 million confidential fund of Office of the Vice President (OVP) Sara Duterte is a matter of accountability,  not a partisan or political action.

“Kasama rin sa hamon sa kanya, ‘yung pag-imbestiga sa Vice President at sa paggamit...maling paggamit ng confidential fund. Dapat linawin natin na hindi ito partisan issue dahil talagang mukhang may mga malinaw na paglabag sa guidelines ng panggamit sa confidential funds na ginawa ang Bise Presidente,” Tinio said in a press conference.

(One of the tough challenges for him is the investigation into the Vice President and her misuse of confidential funds. We have to be clear that this is not a partisan issue, because it is quite clear that the Vice President violated guidelines in disbursing this fund.) 

During the House appropriations panel level deliberations on the OVP’s proposed budget, the Vice President refused to answer queries on how her confidential fund was used, citing that it is the subject of a pending impeachment complaint against her. 

Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co said the Vice President’s refusal to explain how her office spent their confidential fund allocation is consistent with her repeated refusal to defend her office’s proposed P902 million budget for 2026 before the House of Representatives.

“Today, the Makabayan bloc submitted amendments to the BARC or the Budget Amendments Review Committee calling for the amendment of the OVP’s budget to only include allocation for personnel services and nothing else in light of the unparliamentary behavior and lack of intent of the Vice President to defend her own budget during the plenary deliberations,” Co said.

“That personnel services budget will be around P198 million, so we will remove the rest for maintenance and operating expenses and capital outlay. Paninindigan natin ito para ibigay ‘yung mensahe na hindi katanggap-tanggap na ganito babastusin ang taong bayan na nanghihingi ng paliwanag,” Co added.

(We will stand for this amendment to send a message that she cannot get away with disrespecting the public seeking her explanation on how she used her office’s budget.)—KG, GMA Integrated News