The Supreme Court (SC) has invited the Office of the Ombudsman to file a ‘proper complaint’ following Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s statement on Thursday regarding the Court of Appeals (CA) decisions reversing cases dismissed by the anti-graft body.
Remulla, during the Senate finance committee’s deliberations on the Ombudsman’s proposed 2027 budget, raised the issue of alleged delays in the country’s justice system.
He said, ‘Many of those that we have dismissed in the Office of the Ombudsman institutionally, in many cases, we’re talking about many, many cases that were reversed by the Court of Appeals.’
The Ombudsman also mentioned that he had discussed the matter with Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
Following this, the SC said in a statement Thursday evening that it takes allegations pertaining to partiality, misconduct and corruption ‘seriously.’
‘[The SC] acts on such allegations when proper complaints are filed, evidence is presented, and the judges or justices concerned are given the opportunity to respond,’ SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said.
But the spokesperson pointed out that the SC ‘cannot act on broad allegations against an entire appellate court based only on public statements.’
‘We therefore invite the Ombudsman, or any concerned party, to file the proper complaint and submit supporting evidence. This will allow the Court to determine the facts and, when warranted, exercise its disciplinary authority,’ she emphasized.
Ting pointed out that the SC upholds the public’s ‘right to freedom of expression,’ including their right to criticize the courts and their decisions.
She specifically mentioned the high court’s recent ruling clearing political analyst and Inquirer columnist Richard Heydarian, Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña and presidential anti-poverty czar Larry Gadon of indirect contempt.
The three became respondents in the indirect contempt petitions after criticizing the SC following the release of its 2025 decision dismissing the 2024 impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
‘Despite the strong statements made against the Court concerning one of its rulings, the Court upheld the respondents’ freedom of speech and did not hold them in contempt,’ the SC spokesperson said.
‘The Court welcomes fair criticism. At the same time, serious accusations against judges and courts should be raised through the proper processes so they can be fairly investigated and resolved,’ she added.
The Inquirer reached out to Remulla about the SC’s statement but he had not responded as of press time