Ombudsman Remulla: Holding out on courtesy resignation have consequences

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday said the last-minute hires and promoted employees of his predecessor who refuse to submit their courtesy resignations may “face consequences.”

“We expect compliance as a matter of good faith from everybody concerned. And those who want to hold out, can hold out. But, of course, there can be consequences,” Remulla said in a press conference. 

He was referring to the 204 new hires and promotions made during the last three months of then Ombudsman Samuel Martires’s tenure from May to July 2025.

Remulla previously stressed that his call for the last-minute hires and promotions is mostly applicable to 99 out of the 204 employees.

This is because the 99 employees have a pay level of Salary Grade 25 and above. Remulla said the circumstances make these appointments “questionable.”

“Our purpose really here is to be able to organize a team, a fresh team also, within the Ombudsman. And we don’t want all of these places [to be] occupied immediately by people who we didn’t [get to] vet because they were promoted or appointed at the last minute. Siguro naman that’s understandable (I would say our position is understandable.),” Remulla said on Wednesday.

He added that a lot of lawyers want to apply for posts in the Office of the Ombudsman.

“We want to form new teams to inject new blood into the organization. Actually, there are so many applicants now for the positions here. There’s a big interest in young lawyers to come into the organization because they see that the work is interesting and challenging,” Remulla said. 

Earlier this week, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Remulla’s call for the last-minute hires and promoted employees under Martires’ watch is not revenge, but a call for Ombudsman employees to be loyal to the agency and not to a person or personality.

Martires has denied making last-minute appointments. He said the Ombudsman is not a political office and his actions on the 204 individuals were based on merit. — JMA, GMA Integrated News