By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday appointed Department of Justice (DOJ) Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla as the new Ombudsman following the retirement of Samuel Martires last July.
Remulla’s appointment was announced by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in a statement posted on Facebook, noting the Justice Chief’s decades of service as a legislator, governor, and lawyer, which he will apply to his new position.
The PCO said Remulla is expected to “uphold transparency, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and ensure that justice is administered fairly and efficiently,” especially in undertaking probes into government anomalies and irregularities.
“There will be no sacred cows, no exemptions, and no excuses. Public office is a public trust, and those who betray it will be held accountable,” the PCO stated.
Remulla was among the seven nominees that the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) submitted to the President on Monday. Other nominees were Michael Aguinaldo, Stephen Cruz, Samuel Gaerlan, Anna Liza Logan, Mario Lopez, and Michael Frederick Musngi.
Remulla served in the DOJ as secretary from 2022. As ombudsman, he will serve for a term of seven years or until 2032 without reappointment.
The 1987 Constitution empowers the ombudsman to investigate, prosecute, suspend, or fire erring public officials, among other duties.
In a media interview in Malacañang, PCO Acting Sec. Dave Gomez stressed that Remulla’s appointment as the new Ombudsman went through a stringent process and was vetted by the JBC, dismissing concerns that the DOJ chief will not be impartial and will only bring down political rivals of the administration.
“There is a vetting process, which is provided for by our Constitution and our laws, and he (Remulla) went through that very rigorous selection process,” Gomez said.
“We have the highest confidence in Sec. Remulla that he would be very impartial when he assumes his new role as Ombudsman,” the PCO chief added. (with report from Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
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