Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he would no longer send a letter to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III regarding the dismissal order against Senator Joel Villanueva, expressing shock over what he described as a “surprise, secret decision” by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires that reversed the 2016 ruling.
The original dismissal order, issued by then Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, found Villanueva administratively guilty of Grave Misconduct, Serious Dishonesty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service over the alleged misuse of his P10 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) when he was a Party-List representative.
Remulla had announced on Wednesday, Oct. 22, his intent to seek Sotto’s help in implementing the order. But shortly after, Villanueva denounced the move as “harassment” and released a copy of Martires’ 2019 ruling that overturned the decision—a ruling Martires later confirmed.
In an ambush interview, Remulla expressed shock at the reversal. “To my surprise, when I got to the office, I was confronted with a decision signed by former Ombudsman Martires dated July 2019,” he said.
“Iyon, lumabas lang siya no’ng sinabi kong may gagawin ang Ombudsman tungkol diyan. So, it’s a surprise, secret decision.”
Pressed further, Remulla questioned the silence surrounding the ruling.
“Well, nobody was raising that issue before. Joel Villanueva kept quiet throughout the years, Ombudsman Martires never spoke about it. ’Di ba parang secret decision siya, alam ’nyo ba ’yon?” he added.
