Ombudsman reports improved case output in 2025

The Office of the Ombudsman reported improved completion rates in fact-finding investigations and increased filing of criminal and administrative cases in 2025, compared with previous years.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, who assumed office in October 2025, attributed the gains to efforts to streamline processes and curb the longstanding practice of “parking” cases.

Data from the Budget Accountability Report–Quarterly Physical Report of Operations as of 31 December 2025 showed that the anti-graft body completed 1,129 fact-finding investigations out of a workload of 2,051, or a 55.05 percent completion rate.

Of these, 317 resulted in the filing of criminal or administrative cases, equivalent to 28.08 percent, indicating improvements in both efficiency and case disposition.

In comparison, the Ombudsman completed 795 investigations out of 1,632 cases in 2024, or 48.71 percent, and filed 171 cases, or 21.51 percent. Filing rates were lower in earlier years, at 20.1 percent in 2022 and 19.07 percent in 2023.

For criminal and forfeiture cases, the Ombudsman resolved 1,532 out of 3,289 cases in 2025, or 46.31 percent. While this exceeded the 990 cases resolved in 2024, the previous year posted a higher completion rate of 51.24 percent.