Martires to Boying: No ‘midnight appointees’ under my watch

Former Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Tuesday debunked insinuations of his successor, Boying Remulla, that he made over 200 “midnight appointees” during his final months in the office before stepping down in late July.

Martires asserted that the appointment of the concerned employees, including the two assistant ombudsmen, was made in compliance with existing laws and regulations, and had the approval of the Department of Budget and Management.

“There are no midnight appointees because we are not a political office,” the former ombudsman said in Filipino in an interview.

The former Supreme Court associate justice further explained that the appointment of assistant ombudsmen came only after the retirement of officers who had previously held the post, and was made public through the Civil Service Commission’s bulletin, insisting that they complied with the procedural process.

“You can’t leave the position vacant because it's the bureau's top supervisor. So, immediately it was also published, someone qualified, and was appointed,” he argued.

Martires retired on 27 July and was succeeded by Remulla, who relinquished his post as secretary of the Department of Justice earlier this month.

Since assuming office, Remulla has implemented sweeping reforms at the Ombudsman, including lifting the restrictions on public access to the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) of government officials, which were enforced by Martires in 2020.

The newly minted ombudsman has also taken veiled jabs at his predecessor, and recently disclosed that there are 204 new hire employees in his office, who were appointed shortly before Martires stepped down.

The majority of the so-called midnight appointees are allegedly occupying high-level posts with senior pay grades despite having minimal experience. Remulla already asked the concerned employees to submit their courtesy resignation and reapply in good faith.

Martires, in response, countered that the figure includes drivers to resident lawyers holding higher positions. 

Furthermore, he claimed that the hiring of new employees was prompted by the need to fill existing plantilla positions in the Ombudsman, based on the sectoral office's requirements.

“When I planned to abolish the fact-finding investigation, I asked the DBM to hire 60 new lawyers in August 2024, and it was approved by January of this year,” he stated.

Earlier this week, Martires told DAILY TRIBUNE that Remulla’s insinuations suggesting he is to blame for the alleged the wrongdoing in the office, including the “secret” reversal of a 2016 dismissal order against Senator Joel Villanueva, is a deliberate effort to divert public attention from anomalies in the flood control projects, which involve members of Congress, including allies of President Marcos Jr.