Boying Remulla urges agencies to prevent corruption before it happens

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on Monday called on justice and law enforcement agencies to identify and address vulnerabilities that enable corruption before public funds are stolen, government services are compromised, and public trust is eroded.

The call was made by Remulla during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC), stressing that fighting corruption requires not only investigating and prosecuting offenders but also preventing wrongdoing before it occurs.

“Corruption does not break within the boundaries of a single government agency. Neither should our response,” Remulla said.

He said government institutions must move beyond a reactive approach to corruption by identifying systemic weaknesses, strengthening safeguards, and promoting integrity across government.

“We cannot simply wait for public funds to be stolen, government services to be compromised, or public trust to be destroyed before we act,” he said.

The Ombudsman said cooperation among justice institutions could help address bottlenecks that create opportunities for corruption, improve secure information-sharing systems, and strengthen institutional capabilities to combat increasingly sophisticated forms of wrongdoing.

He emphasized, however, that the partnership must produce concrete results rather than remain a formal agreement.

“I do not want these memoranda of understanding to become mere documents that we sign before we act alone,” he said.

Remulla called for the agreement to be translated into concrete programs, clearly defined responsibilities, realistic timelines, and measurable outcomes.

He urged the participating agencies to assess their performance by asking what corruption risks they had prevented and what improvements they had achieved in delivering justice.

He also stressed that stronger institutional cooperation must not undermine the independence of the participating agencies.

Remulla said the Office of the Ombudsman would continue to exercise its constitutional mandate independently while cooperating with other members of the justice sector, each of which must likewise fulfill its respective responsibilities.

He welcomed the partnership, saying the Office of the Ombudsman was prepared to serve as an active and constructive participant in efforts to strengthen the justice system.

He said the public was more concerned with tangible results than with the signing of agreements or the holding of meetings.

“At the end of the day, our people are not interested in having meetings, legal documents or opinions inside. They want corruption prevented. They want all to be punished. They want justice delivered without unnecessary delay. And above all, they want a government they can trust,” Remulla said.

He said the agreement's success should ultimately be measured by the corruption prevented and the justice delivered to Filipinos.