Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Thursday he will try to enforce the 2016 dismissal order of Senator Joel Villanueva issued by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
In an interview with ANC, Remulla said he will personally hand over a letter to Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III regarding this matter tomorrow.
“I will try to have it done today so I can deliver it to him tomorrow when I go to the Senate, because we have a budget hearing at the Senate. It is something that has to be decided between men and between institutions, and it has to be for the good of the people,” Remulla said.
In 2016, Carpio-Morales ordered Villanueva’s removal from public service for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the service over the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations when he was still CIBAC party-list representative.
The former Ombudsman and Supreme Court justice expressed disappointment over the Senate leadership under the previous administration for its failure to enforce the decision of Villanueva.
Villanueva, who has been linked to the flood control corruption scandal recently, argued that the latest pronouncement of the incumbent Ombudsman is a form of “harassment.”
In a Viber message to reporters, he shared screenshots of documents from the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, saying he has no pending criminal or administrative cases in court.
Remulla’s immediate predecessor, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, echoed Villanueva’s position. Martires said the dismissal order was junked in 2019 after he granted the senator’s motion for reconsideration, which reversed Carpio-Morales’ decision, according to ABS-CBN News.
Editor’s Note: This story will be updated.
