Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Saturday pushed back against calls for the Office of the Ombudsman to step aside from investigating former House Speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez, insisting that prosecutors are constitutionally bound to pursue cases on behalf of the Filipino people.
The Ombudsman said the request from Romualdez’s camp “does not make sense under the law,” stressing that inhibition applies to courts to ensure impartiality, not to prosecutorial bodies tasked with going after alleged wrongdoing.
“Prosecutors are supposed to side with the victims of crimes,” Remulla said in a radio program, underscoring that “in corruption cases, the victims are the Filipino public.”
Romualdez’s legal counsel from Villaraza & Angangco Law Office had asked the Ombudsman to inhibit from the case, citing statements by Remulla and Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano that they claimed showed prejudgment and bias.
But Remulla maintained that the Office of the Ombudsman’s constitutional mandate is precisely to guard against corruption and prosecute erring public officials, making inhibition incompatible with its role.
“Paano natin mapaparusahan iyan kung mag-iinhibit ka? Duty mo iyan eh, iyan ay katungkulan namin sa Saligang Batas (How can we prosecute that if you inhibit yourself? That’s your duty; that is our responsibility under the Constitution),” he said.
He added that, similar to the Department of Justice, prosecutors are duty-bound to build cases against alleged offenders, not withdraw from them.
The lawyers for Romualdez also argued that Remulla’s public remarks make it “practically impossible” for investigators to reach conclusions contrary to his statements, warning that any probe could become a “sham.”
Despite this, Remulla stood firm, even dismissing the legal basis of the request.
“There’s no such thing as inhibition. I told the lawyer making that argument, maybe you were absent when that was taught—go back to law school,” he said.
The Office of the Ombudsman is currently conducting a preliminary investigation into complaints against Romualdez, including allegations of plunder, direct and indirect bribery, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering, filed by a special panel of investigators.