Most of the new employees of the Office of the Ombudsman who were asked to file courtesy resignations have already complied, according to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano.
This comes after the anti-graft body asked its newly hired personnel last July to submit their courtesy resignations – a move that, according to Clavano, aims to show their loyalty to the institution rather than to any individual.
‘We’re very happy to announce that almost all of the employees who were asked to file a courtesy resignation actually filed courtesy resignations with our HR department here in the Office of the Ombudsman. We see this as a show of good faith from everybody and a sign of trust in the new Ombudsman and his administration,’ he said in a press briefing on Monday.
‘So what we will do now is evaluate all the courtesy resignations. We will also review the process each hiree or employee went through to receive the promotion, ensuring it followed the proper procedure. That will be the basis of the Ombudsman’s decision,’ he added.
Asked how long the evaluation process will take, Clavano said, ‘as soon as possible.’
‘This is something that we feel is very important to get the institution running at full force. We really want to make sure this will be resolved quickly. Those who tendered their courtesy resignations can expect an answer very soon,’ he added.
Last October 21, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he would ask the 204 new employees hired last July – appointments made by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires shortly before his retirement – to reapply so they would not be considered ‘midnight appointees.’
A day later, Remulla revealed that 99 of the 204 new hires were ‘questionable,’ as they held high-ranking positions with salary grades of 25 and above. Government employees with a salary grade of 25 earn around P111,000 a month.
Clavano earlier pointed out that if the appointees have nothing to hide and were hired based on merit, they should not be afraid to reapply.
Martires, who retired on July 27, was appointed as the head of the anti-graft body in 2018 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. Remulla, on the other hand, was a former justice secretary. He was appointed by President Marcos as his successor on October 7.