By Rey Panaligan
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday granted the optional retirement of Justice Samuel R. Martires who is now free to assume his new post as Ombudsman.
Newly-appointed Ombudsman, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires talks to the Supreme Court employees after attending his last flag raising in Manila, July 30,2018. (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
Martires -- who is set to retire in January next year when he turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for members of the judiciary – was appointed Ombudsman by President Duterte last July 26, the day Conchita Carpio Morales stepped down after completing her term of office.
His SC post for which he was appointed last year prevented him from immediately assuming his new job.
Reports stated that Martires will take his oath of office today (August 1) and immediately act as Ombudsman.
Earlier, Martires had said he will not allow politicians to use his office to prosecute their political enemies.
“I don’t have that persecution complex,” he told journalists during his visit to the Ombudsman’s office in Quezon City last week.
He said he will be “impartial even if complaints would involve members of the First Family.”
"If the evidence will show that there is a probable cause for the filing of charges against any member of the family, why not?,” he stressed.
But if there is no reason to file charges, Martires said he hopes his decision would be accepted.
“We cannot please everybody,” he pointed out.
Martires was a former Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan. Before that post, he was a judge of the regional trial court (RTC) based in Agoo, La Union.
He finished his law at the San Beda College and passed the bar in 1976. He took up Master of Law at the University of Santo Tomas.
From 1976, he engaged in a private law practice for almost 13 years.
He was also a former assistant department manager at the now-defunct Ministry of Human Settlements from 1979 to 1984, and legal officer of the then e Department of Public Works, Transportation, and Communication from 1976 to 1979.
Newly-appointed Ombudsman, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires talks to the Supreme Court employees after attending his last flag raising in Manila, July 30,2018. (Czar Dancel / MANILA BULLETIN)
Martires -- who is set to retire in January next year when he turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for members of the judiciary – was appointed Ombudsman by President Duterte last July 26, the day Conchita Carpio Morales stepped down after completing her term of office.
His SC post for which he was appointed last year prevented him from immediately assuming his new job.
Reports stated that Martires will take his oath of office today (August 1) and immediately act as Ombudsman.
Earlier, Martires had said he will not allow politicians to use his office to prosecute their political enemies.
“I don’t have that persecution complex,” he told journalists during his visit to the Ombudsman’s office in Quezon City last week.
He said he will be “impartial even if complaints would involve members of the First Family.”
"If the evidence will show that there is a probable cause for the filing of charges against any member of the family, why not?,” he stressed.
But if there is no reason to file charges, Martires said he hopes his decision would be accepted.
“We cannot please everybody,” he pointed out.
Martires was a former Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan. Before that post, he was a judge of the regional trial court (RTC) based in Agoo, La Union.
He finished his law at the San Beda College and passed the bar in 1976. He took up Master of Law at the University of Santo Tomas.
From 1976, he engaged in a private law practice for almost 13 years.
He was also a former assistant department manager at the now-defunct Ministry of Human Settlements from 1979 to 1984, and legal officer of the then e Department of Public Works, Transportation, and Communication from 1976 to 1979.