Ex-CA justice fills Ombudsman post as Martires retires
MANILA, Philippines — A former Court of Appeals Justice will temporarily take over the position of the Ombudsman as Samuel Martires reaches the end of his term.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed that former Court of Appeals Justice Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo was named acting Ombudsman on Monday, July 28, a day after Martires ends his term on July 27.
Punzalan-Castillo was appointed as the magistrate of the Court of Appeals in 2004 and retired as its presiding justice on Sept. 21, 2024.
A month after she retired from the Court of Appeals, she was appointed as the Office of the Ombudsman’s special prosecutor. She will serve her term until 2031.
As Martires retires, the Judicial and Bar Council is set to interview 17 applicants for the position of the Ombudsman.
Powers, limits. The Office of the Ombudsman is responsible for investigating and prosecuting public officials accused of wrongdoing, particularly graft and corruption.
Depending on the case, the Ombudsman may file charges before the Sandiganbayan or a Regional Trial Court.
The Ombudsman can only be removed via impeachment proceedings. The most recent impeachment attempt against an Ombudsman was in 2011, when the House of Representatives filed articles of impeachment against Merceditas Gutierrez for alleged betrayal of public trust.
However, the trial did not commence because Gutierrez resigned ten days before the scheduled Senate proceedings.
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