Office of the Ombudsman (Philippines)

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Office of the Ombudsman
Tanggapan ng Tanodbayan
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Seal
Office of the Ombudsman (Agham Road, Quezon City; 03-13-2021).jpg
Agency overview
Formed1988
Jurisdiction Philippines
HeadquartersSenator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines
Employees1,212 (2024) [1]
Annual budget 4.05 billion (2020) [2]
Agency executive
Website www.ombudsman.gov.ph
Building in Quezon City housing the Office of the Ombudsman FvfOmbudsman0222 17.JPG
Building in Quezon City housing the Office of the Ombudsman

In the Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman (Filipino : Tanggapan ng Tanodbayan) [4] is the constitutional body responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption.

Contents

Functions

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution and the Ombudsman Act of 1989, the Office of the Ombudsman independently monitors all three branches of the government for political corruption. The ombudsman "is principally tasked to investigate on its own or upon complaint by any person, in any form or manner, any act or omission of any public officer or employee, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations, which appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient." [5] After an investigation, the ombudsman files charges at the Sandiganbayan, a special anti-graft court.

The Offices of the Ombudsman includes the ombudsman's own office, along with offices for a team composed of a sheriff, the ombudsman's second in command, and six other deputies who lead their respective divisions or bureaus.

History

The Office of the Ombudsman predates the 1987 Constitution. There have been several offices established under various presidents of the Philippines whose duties are now subsumed under the Office of the Ombudsman. President Elpidio Quirino established the Integrity Board in 1950; President Ramon Magsaysay, the Presidential Complaints and Action Commission in 1957; President Carlos P. Garcia, the Presidential Committee on Administration Performance Efficiency in 1958; President Diosdado Macapagal, the Presidential Anti-Graft Committee in 1962; and finally President Ferdinand Marcos, the Presidential Agency on Reform and Government Operations in 1966. [6]

In 1969, the Office of the Citizens Counselor was created by the Republic Act No. 6028. [6] It was primarily designed to conduct fact-finding investigations and make recommendations to Congress and the President. [6] The office was "not at all implemented." [6] Subsequently, Marcos created the Complaints and Investigation Office in 1970 and the Presidential Administrative Assistance Committee in 1971. [6] None of these were successful nor were independent. [7]

In the martial law-era 1973 Philippine Constitution (Sections 5 and 6, Article XIII), provided for the establishment of a special court called the Sandiganbayan and an office of the ombudsman called the Tanodbayan. [6] On June 11, 1978, during martial law, the late President Ferdinand Marcos created by presidential decree the office of the Tanodbayan. [6] [8] The Tanodbayan was not independent but served at the pleasure of the president and could be removed at any time. [8]

After Marcos was overthrown in the 1986 People Power Revolution, President Corazon Aquino issued two executive orders (nos. 243 and 244) in July 1987 that dictated a new Office of the Ombudsman and transformed the Tanodbayan into the Office of the Special Prosecutor under the ombudsman. [5] Following the passage of the 1987 Constitution, the Ombudsman Act of 1989 was passed to define the roles and structure of the Office. [5]

In March 2011, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the dismissal of Emilio Gonzales III as Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Officers for neglecting to properly handle the complaint filed by policeman Rolando Mendoza prior to the Manila hostage crisis in 2010. [9] In September 2012, Gonzales was ordered reinstated by the Supreme Court, which argued among others that he did not commit an offense that could be considered "intentional wrongdoing[...] amounting to betrayal of public trust". [10] [11] By January 2014, the Supreme Court ruled the president's dismissal of a deputy ombudsman to be unconstitutional as it violates the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman provided by the Constitution. [12]

In 2016, Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang began investigating a plunder complaint filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes regarding the allegedly questionable bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family from 2006 to 2016. [13] [14] By July 2018, Carandang was ordered dismissed from office by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for allegedly committing graft, corruption and betrayal of public trust in issuing statements about the Duterte family's bank records. [15] In spite of Carandang's appeal, as well as criticism from observers that Medialdea's order violates the Supreme Court ruling from 2014 regarding the independence of the agency, [16] [17] [18] the dismissal order was enforced on June 17, 2019. [19] [20]

Officials

The ombudsman and its subordinates are appointed by the president of the Philippines from a list submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council for a nonrenewable seven-year term. The ombudsman can be removed from office only through impeachment.

NamePhotoPosition
Jesus Crispin Remulla Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla Portrait (cropped).jpg Tanodbayan (Ombudsman)
Jose M. Balmeo, Jr.Officer-in-charge, Overall Deputy Ombudsman [21]
Deputy Ombudsman for Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices
Cornelio L. Somido [21] Officer-in-charge, Overall Deputy Ombudsman
Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon
Dante F. Vargas Acting Ombudsman Dante F. Vargas.jpg Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas
Anderson A. LoDeputy Ombudsman for Mindanao
Mariflor Punzalan-CastilloSpecial Prosecutor

List of ombudsmen

No.ImageOmbudsmanTerm [22] Tenure lengthAppointing PresidentPost held prior to appointment
1 Vasquez conrado.jpg Conrado M. Vasquez
(1913–2006)
May 12, 1988

May 12, 1995
7 years, 0 days Corazon Aquino Supreme Court Associate Justice (1982–1983)
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Francisco Villa
Officer-in-charge
May 19, 1995

August 4, 1995
77 days Fidel V. Ramos Overall Deputy Ombudsman (1992)
2
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Aniano A. Desierto
(born 1935)
August 4, 1995

August 4, 2002
7 years, 0 daysSpecial Prosecutor (1991–1995)
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Margarito Gervacio
Acting
August 4, 2002

October 10, 2002
67 days Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Overall Deputy Ombudsman (1999)
3
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Simeon V. Marcelo
(born 1953)
October 10, 2002

December 1, 2005 [a]
3 years, 52 days Solicitor General (2001–2002)
4
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Merceditas Gutierrez
(born 1948)
December 1, 2005

May 6, 2011 [a]
5 years, 156 days Justice Secretary (2002–2003, 2003–2004)
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Orlando Casimiro
Acting
May 6, 2011

July 28, 2011
82 days Benigno Aquino III Overall Deputy Ombudsman
5 Conchita Carpio-Morales - 2016 (cropped).jpg Conchita Carpio-Morales
(born 1941)
July 28, 2011

July 28, 2018
7 years, 0 days Supreme Court Associate Justice (2002–2011)
6 Samuel Martires.jpg Samuel Martires
(born 1949)
July 28, 2018

July 28, 2025
7 years, 0 days Rodrigo Duterte Supreme Court Associate Justice (2017–2018)
Ombudsman of the Philippines (Tanodbayan).svg
Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo
Officer-in-charge
July 28, 2025

August 27, 2025
30 days Bongbong Marcos Special Prosecutor (2024–2025)
Acting Ombudsman Dante F. Vargas.jpg Dante Vargas
Officer-in-charge
August 27, 2025

October 10, 2025
41 daysDeputy Ombudsman (2022–2025)
7 Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla Portrait (cropped).jpg Jesus Crispin Remulla
(born 1961)
October 10, 2025

present
2 days Justice Secretary (2022–2025)
  1. 1 2 Resigned

See also

References

  1. "Staffing Summary Fiscal Year 2025" (PDF). Department of Budget and Management . Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  2. Rey, Aika (January 8, 2020). "Where will the money go?". Rappler . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  3. "Boying Remulla appointed as new Ombudsman". Rappler. October 7, 2025.
  4. Narvaez, Eilene Antoinette; Macaranas, Edgardo, eds. (2013). Mga Pangalan ng Tanggapan ng Pamahalaan sa Filipino (PDF) (in Filipino) (2013 ed.). Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. p. 38. ISBN   978-971-0197-22-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 PRIMER (PDF). Office of the Ombudsman. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "History". Office of the Ombudsman. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  7. Pamaos, Fred Bertulfo (October 3, 2006). "The Office of the Ombudsman, mandated as Protector of the People". Philippine e-Legal Forum. Jaromay Laurente Pamos Law Offices. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1487 CREATING THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN, TO BE KNOWN AS TANODBAYAN". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. ChanRobles Law Firm. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  9. Quinto, Jaemie; Bordadora, Norman (April 1, 2011). "Palace fires deputy ombudsman". Inquirer.net . Manila, Philippines: Inquirer Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  10. Aning, Jerome (September 26, 2012). "Supreme Court reinstates exec fired by Aquino". Inquirer.net . Inquirer Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  11. Punongbayan, Michael (October 3, 2012). "Gonzales back as deputy ombudsman, to get P1.8 M". Philstar.com . Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  12. Emilio Gonzales III, et al. v. Office of the President of the Philippines, et al., Supreme Court E-Library (January 28, 2014).
  13. Imperial, Maria Feona (May 7, 2016). "Trillanes: I've done my part to expose Duterte's wrongdoings". Vera Files . Retrieved July 9, 2025. On Thursday [May 5], the senator filed before the Ombudsman a plunder case, among other criminal and administrative charges, against Duterte.
  14. Dizon, Nikko (September 27, 2017). "Ombudsman probes Duterte family's wealth". Inquirer.net . Manila, Philippines: Inquirer Interactive Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2025. Asked if the documents he had received from AMLC were the same as the ones Trillanes had submitted, Carandang said he 'cannot confirm' it just yet. 'But more or less, they have the same details,' he said.
  15. Lopez, Virgil (August 1, 2018). "Palace dismisses Deputy Ombudsman Carandang from office". GMA News . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  16. Patag, Kristine Joy (August 6, 2018). "Martires: 'No choice' but to enforce Palace dismissal of Carandang". Philstar.com . Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved July 6, 2025. In a report by The STAR, Martires said that he will carry out the dismissal order from the Office of the Executive Secretary. This, despite a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that voided the president's disciplinary jurisdiction over a deputy ombudsman.
  17. Sy, Marvin; Cabrera, Romina (August 3, 2018). "'Deputy ombudsman's dismissal illegal'". Philstar.com . Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  18. Montalván II, Antonio J. (November 18, 2024). "The sacking of Melchor Arthur Carandang". Vera Files . Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  19. Corrales, Nestor (June 3, 2019). "Palace denies Deputy Ombudsman Carandang's appeal". Inquirer.net . Manila, Philippines: Inquirer Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  20. "The man who dared". Inquirer.net . Inquirer Interactive, Inc. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Philippine Government Directory of Agencies and Officials (PDF) (Report). San Miguel, Manila: Department of Budget and Management. December 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  22. "Previous Ombudsmen". Office of the Ombudsman. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.