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Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires retired today, July 27, from his post which has a fixed term of seven years.
Martires was appointed Ombudsman on July 26, 2018 by then president Rodrigo Duterte after the former’s early retirement was approved by the Supreme Court (SC).
Before his SC stint, he also served as associate justice of the Sandiganbayan and as judge of the regional trial court (RTC).
The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) said there are 17 aspirants to the Ombudsman’s post.
The applicants are Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, SC Associate Justice Samuel Gaerlan, retired SC Associate Justice Mario Lopez, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Michael Frederick Musngi.
The other applicants are Court of Appeals (CA) Associate Justice Bautista Corpin Jr., retired CA associate justice and incumbent Philippine Postal Corporation Chairman Stephen Cruz, Daraga, Albay Municipal Trial Court Judge Jason Rodenas and retired Laoag City Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge Benjamin Turgano.
Also applicants are former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares, former Commission on Audit chairman and incumbent Philippine Competition Commission Chairman Michael Aguinaldo, Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Beda Epres, Deputy Executive Secretary Lisa Logan, Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary for External, Legal and Legislative Affairs Romeo Benitez, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chairman and retired Marikina RTC judge Felix Reyes, PDP Laban secretary-general Melvin Matibag and Jonie Caroche, a member of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group.
The JBC – the constitutional office that accepts, screens and nominates appointments to the judiciary, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Legal Education Board – has scheduled public interviews of the applicants on July 30 and 31 and on August 1 and 4.
The council is headed by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo as ex-officio chairperson.
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) was created in 1989 under Republic Act No. 6770.
Under RA 6770, among the OMB’s functions are “to investigate and prosecute on its own or on complaint by any person, any act or omission of any public officer or employee, office or agency, when such act or omission appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient.”
The OMB “has primary jurisdiction over cases cognizable by the Sandiganbayan and, in the exercise of his primary jurisdiction, it may take over, at any stage, from any investigatory agency of government, the investigation of such cases under Section 15(1) RA 6770 and Section 13(1), Article XI, of the Constitution.”
RA 6770 also provides: “the Ombudsman and his Deputies, including the Special Prosecutor, shall be natural born citizens of the Philippines, at least 40 years old, of recognized probity and independence, members of the Philippine Bar, and must not have been candidates for any elective national or local office in the immediately preceding election whether regular or special. The Ombudsman must have, for 10 years or more, been a judge or engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines.”
