SENATORS generally welcomed the appointment of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla as Ombudsman, with Senate President Vicente Sotto III saying he believes that Remulla would be ‘fearless’ even in his new role, after his stint as secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
‘I welcome Secretary Boying Remulla’s transition from Justice Secretary to Ombudsman. He is the tribune and protector of the people, fearless in the search for truth and justice,’ Sotto told reporters.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said that the nation now looks to Remulla ‘for decisive and impartial action in the fight against corruption.’
‘The appointment of Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla as the new Ombudsman comes at a time when the nation is confronting serious corruption challenges. As a former Justice Secretary, he brings with him extensive knowledge of the country’s major corruption cases and the workings of our justice system,’ Gatchalian said.
‘This appointment should send a clear signal that corruption, abuse of power, and other forms of misconduct have no place in government and that restoring public trust begins with holding everyone, regardless of rank, accountable under the law,’ he added.
Sen. Imee Marcos, who filed a slew of cases against Remulla, however, questioned the motive of her brother, the President, in naming Remulla to the Ombudsman post.
The Senator earlier claimed that Remulla was being pushed into the Ombudsman post in order to jail Vice President Sara Duterte and her allies by 2028.
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday urged incoming Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to make Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) of government officials accessible to the public, with only their private information redacted.
‘He should now open again the SALN to the public. But you have to redact private information like the residence, the name of children, that which do not involve assets or liabilities.’
Making SALNs public will restore public trust in government, which he said has taken a hit amid the anomalies involving flood control projects, Carpio said.
‘The people have lost faith in all institutions of government. They have lost faith in the Executive, Legislative, and even in the Judiciary,’ Carpio added.
‘The Office of the Ombudsman, I call it the second most powerful office of government, could turn the tide,’ he said, as he advised Remulla to follow the evidence, saying that the Ombudsman must be fair and must not engage in selective prosecution.
Remulla previously said he is also open to making the disclosure of SALNs more accessible, but with safeguards.
Carpio also welcomed Remulla’s appointment to the post, saying he is ‘very hardworking.’
‘He was my student in law school and he came to class always prepared. And that has been shown also in his investigation of the e-sabungero and the flood control project. Focused siya,’ he said.
‘I hope he carries that, work ethic at the Ombudsman.
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), however, criticized the appointment calling it ‘as another dark day in the annals of our nation’s history.’
In a statement PDP deputy spokesman Ferdinand Topacio expressed belief that his appointment would weaken the Ombudsman as an institution considering that he an ‘active politician’ and an alter-ego of President Marcos.
‘One again, President Marcos has severely weakened, if not run into the ground, a revered institution. The President has previously progressively diluted the mechanisms for checks and balances in its many attempts to co-opt legislature, shown subservience to foreign powers and turned the national budget into its own slush fund for its political allies and favored businessman,’ Topacio claimed.
Remulla assured ‘transparency’ and ‘a lot of action’ on the part of the Office of the Ombudsman under his term.
Among the cases awaiting Remulla’s decision as an Ombudsman are the complaints filed by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) against those allegedly involved in the anomalous flood control and infrastructure projects of the government.
Also pending before the Ombudsman is the complaint filed by the House of Representatives against Vice President Sara Duterte over the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The Ombudsman has already issued an order directing VP Sara and several officials of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) to file their respective counter-affidavits.
‘In these trying times, no one can help the Filipinos but we, ourselves. We must keep showing our outrage at all these nefarious acts that are destroying our dignity and sense of decency as a nation,’ Topacio said.