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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Ombudsman Remulla slams 'surprise, secret decision' that reversed dismissal of ex-Rep, now Sen Joel Villanueva

Ombudsman Remulla slams 'surprise, secret decision' that reversed dismissal of ex-Rep, now Sen Joel Villanueva

Published Oct 23, 2025 05:52 pm
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla slammed what he called a "surprise, secret decision” of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires who reversed the dismissal order issued in 2016 against then congressman and now Senator Joel Villanueva.
Remulla announced last Wednesday, Oct. 22, that he will seek the help of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to implement the dismissal order against Villanueva issued by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales.
The dismissal order was issued after Villanueva was found administratively guilty of Grave Misconduct, Serious Dishonesty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service in 2016 due to the misuse of his P10 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) when he was still a Party-List member of the House of Representatives.
However, immediately after Remulla issued his statement, Villanueva criticized it as "harassment" from the Ombudsman and released a copy of Martires’ 2019 ruling that reversed the dismissal order. Martires later confirmed that the MR has been issued.
During an ambush interview with reporters, Remulla said that he was surprised himself that an MR has been issued. "To my surprise, when I got to the office, I was confronted with a decision signed by former Ombudsman Martires dated July 2019," he said.
"Iyon, lumabas lang siya no'ng sinabi kong may gagawin ang Ombudsman tungkol diyan (There, it was revealed only when I said that the Ombudsman would take action). So, it's a surprise, secret decision," Remulla pointed out.
When pressed further, Remulla said that it's quite suspicious nobody talked about it before.
"Well, nobody was raising that issue before. Joel Villanueva kept quiet throughout the years, Ombudsman Martires never spoke about it. 'Di ba parang secret decision siya, alam 'nyo ba 'yon? (It's like a secret decision, you know?)" he added.
Thus, Remulla said he will no longer send a letter to Senate President Sotto on the issue of Villanueva’s dismissal order.
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