By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla formally took his oath of office before Acting Chief Justice Marvic Leonen at the Supreme Court session hall on Thursday.
In an interview after the ceremony, Remulla said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed him to “iron out” the current controversies facing the government.
“Wala siyang marching order sa akin. Sabi niya nga, ayusin natin itong gusot na to, kasi nga, it’s a mess (The President has no marching orders. What he said was to iron out this mess. We have to fix this mess). We have to figure out how to get out of this as a better country than anything else,” Remulla said.
Remulla also dismissed the misgivings being raised by his critics.
“Kasi they operate on a political sphere, ako I operate in a legal sphere. Ito para sa taumbayan. Kahit ano pa ang political leanings mo, let’s all work for the country (They operate on a political sphere, I operate on a legal sphere. This is for the people. Whatever your political leanings are, let’s all work for the country),” he said.
Flood control
Remulla said the Office of the Ombudsman will prioritize the flood control corruption scandal and may file cases in the next few weeks when sufficient evidence is already available.
“Ang timeline niya, syempre, on the evidence. Pero marami na naman kami nang kukuha na evidence. Talagang sisikapin lang namin na mabuo ng husto kasi nga ayaw namin na kami maging cause ng delay (The timeline will depend on the evidence. We have received voluminous evidence and we will work to complete it because we don’t want to be the cause of delay),” he said.
“When they’re ready, we’ll file them within the next few weeks. Pag nag-file kami, ready kami for trial (Whe we file, we are ready for trial),” he added.
Remulla also said the flood control project investigations will spare no one, and they will look squarely at the available evidence.
“Our concern is building the case. Hindi sino, pero anong kaso, anong ebidensya. Kaya wala tayong sinisino rito (It’s not who is implicated, but what is case, what is the evidence. We will spare no one here),” he said, adding that they will be placing new standards at the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Pag may dumating na impormasyon na dapat imbestigahan, iimbestigahan natin. Tatawagin natin lahat ng merong poder para mag-disclose ang information tungkol sa mga kasong fina-file. At gagamitin natin ang informasyon pa sa korte para usigin yung mga lalabag sa batas at magmamanabis sa kanilang mga responsibilidad (Once an information comes in that needs investigating, we will investigate. We will call all those on power to disclose information on the cases being filed. And we will use that information in court to prosecute those who break the law and abuse their responsibilities,” he said.
Remulla said he will also review the Pharmally case which involves the procurement of overpriced Covid-19 supplies.
“Sisilipin natin ‘yan, kasi nga parang nalimutan na eh, naibaon sa limot, pero hindi dapat makalimutan talaga itong mga ganitong kaso (We will look into that, because it seems it has been forgotten, buried in oblivion, but cases like should not be forgotten),” he said.
Aside from prosecutorial duties, the Ombudsman will also make recommendations in particular to regulatory offices for measures to promote efficient service.
He also cited the apparent failure of regulatory agencies to compel telcos to cooperate with the government in the fight against child pornography and online abuse.
“Yung mga telco, i-ayos nila yung kanilang sistema para pwede natin mahuli lahat ng gumagawa at nag nagmimili, nakikihalahok sa child pornography (Telcos should fix their systems so that we can capture all those who create, buy or participate in child pornography),” he said. (PNA)
