Ombudsman: Remulla tackled high-impact, long-pending cases in first 100 days

The Office of the Ombudsman intensified its prosecutorial efforts in high-impact and long unresolved cases during the first 100 days of Jesus Crispin Remulla's leadership, the agency said Monday.

“As he marks his first 100 days in office, Ombudsman Remulla, Seventh Ombudsman of the Republic of the Philippines, reaffirmed the Office of the Ombudsman's unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and the swift and impartial administration of justice. The Office has intensified case build-up, investigation, and prosecution efforts, particularly for long-pending and high-impact cases,” the office said in a statement.

“Close coordination with law enforcement agencies has been strengthened, allowing prosecutors to engage from the earliest stages of investigation to ensure strong, constitutionally sound cases. In line with public concern, the Ombudsman has prioritized the investigation of flood control projects nationwide, resulting in the filing of graft and malversation charges in connection with substandard and ghost projects in several provinces,” it added.

Within Remulla’s first 100 days, Ombudsman prosecutors filed three batches of criminal cases related to the anomalous flood control projects:

• the malversation and graft charges filed vs. former Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co and 16 others with the Sandiganabayan over the P289 million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro;
• the malversation and graft charges filed against contractor Sarah Discaya and others at the Digos City, Davao del Sur Regional Trial Court (later transferred to Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu) over the P96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental; and
• the malversation and graft charges filed vs. former senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. and six others with the Sandiganbayan over the alleged P92.8-million ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Likewise, the Ombudsman said that the Resident Ombudsman Program has been revived to bring accountability closer to the ground through immediate fact-finding and faster action in agencies identified as high-risk for corruption.

The Environmental Ombudsman Program, on the other hand, has also been re-established to target corruption linked to environmental violations and holding both public officials and private individuals accountable when acting in conspiracy.

As for institutional reforms, the Ombudsman’s office cited that the implementation of the Revised Rules of Procedure of the Office of the Ombudsman to reduce delays, clarify processes, and strengthen due process, including firm timelines for fact finding investigations, as well as Ombudsman Remulla issuing Memorandum Circular No. 3, Series of 2025 removing the requirement of consent of the public official in the disclosure of the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), provided that it is based on a meritorious request.

Moreover, the Ombudsman said that a strategic planning conference, the first in over a decade, is set for February 2026.

"These first 100 days set the tone. The work will continue to be decisive, impartial, and anchored on the people’s trust,” Remulla said. — BM, GMA Integrated News