Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday criticized the appointment of former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla as the country’s new Ombudsman, succeeding Samuel R. Martires, whose term ended in July 2025.

The lady senator slammed what she described as a calculated political maneuver and expressed deep concern for the safety of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Sa ngayon, ang iniisip ko na lamang ay kaligtasan ng buhay ni VP SARA (At this point, what I'm most concerned about is the safety of Vice President Sara),” she said.

Sen. Marcos minced no words in criticizing her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to pick Remulla.

“Bonget, si Boying talaga? Sure ka? Ok ka pa ba? (Bonget, Boying? Really? Are you sure? Are you still okay?),” she said, questioning the President’s judgment.

She noted that she had long anticipated such a move, suggesting that it was the third phase in a broader political strategy.

“Nakaraang taon ko pa sinasabi, palpak ang PLAN A na People’s Initiative, palpak ang PLAN B na Impeachment, PLAN C itong sa Ombudsman (I've been saying this since last year — PLAN A, the People's Initiative, was a failure. PLAN B, the Impeachment, also failed. Now this is PLAN C — the Ombudsman),” she said.

During an ambush interview earlier in the day at the Senate, Marcos expressed no surprise over Remulla’s inclusion in the Ombudsman shortlist despite his pending controversies and previous decisions as DOJ Secretary.

“Ang totoo, in-expect ko na kasi patungo na ro’n ‘yong sobrang bilis na pagdi-dismiss ng iba’t ibang kaso sa Ombudsman (The truth is, I already expected it because the Ombudsman had been rapidly dismissing various cases),” Marcos remarked.“Talagang binabaliktad na ‘yong kanilang mga sariling patakaran. ‘Di na sinusunod ‘yong batas (They’ve completely reversed their own rules. The law is no longer being followed),” she added.

The senator did not hold back in questioning the integrity of the appointment, which she had already opposed prior to its confirmation.

“Isang sapilitang pagtatalaga ng taong hindi karapat-dapat, may mga nakabinbin na kaso at may bahid ng kawalang-hustisya,” she previously said.

Sen. Marcos also revealed that she was compelled to defer her support for a Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) member appointment—despite knowing the nominee personally and respecting their credentials—as a form of protest over what she described as the administration’s direction in handling the justice system.

“Palagay ko ang kailangan natin ay PEOPLE’s OMBUDSMAN.yung kapanipaniwala, katiwa-tiwala at hindi kasapakat ng kung sino (I believe what we need is a People's Ombudsman. Someone credible, trustworthy, and not an accomplice of anyone),” she said.

Following Remulla’s transfer, DOJ Undersecretary Fredderick Vida has been named Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Justice until a new secretary is officially appointed.