Newly appointed Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Monday vowed to compel the former lawyer of President Rodrigo Duterte to identify personnel of the anti-graft body allegedly involved in corrupt practices.
Martires, who will take an early retirement from the Supreme Court to take over the helm at the Office of the Ombudsman, said that it was one of his priorities to look into corruption claims, including one made by lawyer Edna Herrera-Batacan, one of his rival to the Ombudsman post, who claimed that she was a “victim” of so-called “parking fee” arrangement or paying to delay the results of an investigation at the anti-graft body.
“I will be demanding—not requesting—I will be demanding from Atty. Batacan for her to identify the officer or employee she gave money to, she said, as parking fee,” Martires said.
“I just want her to cooperate with us,” he said.
The new Ombudsman also declined to comment on whether a case could be filed against her.
During the public interview conducted by the Judicial and Bar Council for the applicants for Ombudsman last month, Batacan accused the anti-graft office of being “graft-ridden” and counted herself among its alleged victims.
“I’m a victim also, I know for a fact how it operates. Inordinate delay is contrary to the speedy disposition of cases. They have such a thing as parking fee in that office. When the case is filed and it’s under preliminary investigation, they will say, ‘Okay, I will just keep it on hold, for resolution. I will just keep it on hold then you pay me parking fee,’” Batacan had said.
Reacting to Batacan’s allegation, retired Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales had said: “If you are party to corruption, then you are corrupt yourself.”
Batacan was not included in the Judicial and Bar Council’s shortlist of nominees for the Ombudsman post.
Martires also said he will meet with officers and employees of the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, when he officially assumes his new post, to inform them of his planned action against allegations of corruption within the body.
Martires said he will make it a priority to probe the alleged inordinate delays, which has caused the Office of the Ombudsman to lose several cases.
“My priorities will be the pending cases, the issue of inordinate delay, which has been an issue that has been haunting the Sandiganbayan as well as the Supreme Court,” Martires said. “I will immediately look into that and the causes for delay.”
Martires also said he was surprised by his appointment as Ombudsman, despite the opposition raised against him by a coalition of groups on the basis of some of his alleged ‘questionable decisions’ as the associate justice of the Sandiganbayan and subsequently at the Supreme Court.
The new Ombudsman said that he did not shame anyone for his or her faith, an allegation that has hounded him after ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno asked him to inhibit from the case against her due to, among others, a supposed insinuation that her religiosity could be a sign of mental illness.
Martires had apologized but denied faith-shaming the former chief justice.
In his farewell speech during the flag raising rites held Monday, Martires said he must have done something good that he was given an opportunity by God to work at the high court.
Martires made his farewell speech during the Supreme Court’s flag raising ceremony before assuming his new position as Ombudsman. He took the position vacated by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales whose seven-year term ended last July 26.
“I was just an ordinary lawyer fortunate to serve the judiciary. I never expected that I will be appointed as associate justice,” Martires said.
“I never expected that there would be a day when I will have the opportunity to work with outstanding Justices (Presbitero) Velasco, (Estela Perlas) Bernabe, (Mariano) Del Castillo, (Teresita Leonardo) De Castro. I never expected that I will be working with Justice (Antonio) Carpio,” he said.
“It appeared I may have done something good in my life that God has allowed me to be at the Supreme Court,” he added.
Of all the aspirants to the Ombudsman post, it was Martires who received a unanimous recommendation from his colleagues.