Newly-Installed Ombudsman Boying Remulla To Issue Memo on SALNs
Ombudsman Boying Remulla confirmed that he will lift the restrictions on the access to the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
The Office of the Ombudsman is now under a new lead following the appointment of former Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla as the chief graft-buster. He was one of the applicants who made it to the shortlist submitted by the Judiciary and Bar Council (JBC) to President Bongbong Marcos.
According to JBC, there were 17 applicants for Ombudsman. It was last October 7 when now-Ombudsman Boying Remulla was appointed by Marcos Jr. to succeed retired former Ombudsman Samuel Martires. His appointment earned different reactions from the people. Yesterday, he took his oath as the new Ombudsman.
Recently, Ombudsman Boying Remulla spoke on his immediate tasks in his new position. Based on a post of Inquirer on social media, the country’s new chief graft-buster confirmed that he will issue a memorandum to lift the restrictions on the access to the SALN.
Based on the post, Remulla said the Office of the Ombudsman aims to issue the memorandum that will lift the restrictions on the access to SALNs “hopefully by Wednesday”. Ombudsman Remulla also announced that he will revisit the Pharmally case.
According to Remulla, the Pharmally case had a weight and the Senate had started its investigation but it did not push through. The issue was a multi-billion transaction of the government with the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. won contracts amounting to P11.5 billion despite a paid-up capital of only P625,000 at the height of the pandemic. The issue broke during the term of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Aside from the lifting of the restrictions on the access of the SALN and the revisiting of the Pharmally case, Ombudsman Boying Remulla also confirmed that he will reopen the complaints filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The complaint was filed against the Vice President over the alleged misuse of the confidential funds of the offices she led.