Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday, Jan. 8, said he has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the online reports that he was critically ill and had to be rushed to the hospital last December.

Remulla said the baseless reports on his health condition are part of an “orchestrated campaign" by his political opponents.

He said he already has an idea who might be responsible for the false reports. He did not elaborate, however.

Last December, there were reports that the Ombudsman was in critical condition and there were even photos of him in a hospital bed circulating online. Some reports even claimed that Remulla had passed away.

While these social media posts have already been denied by his brother, Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla Jr., Ombudsman Remulla said he is facing the false reports head-on to find out who is responsible.

"We've reached the limit of cyber libel already. Tignan natin kung saan pupunta. (Let's see where it goes). I am asking the NBI to look into these allegations," he told journalists covering the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City.

"Sometimes you really have to extract justice. Hindi mo pwede pabayaan nalang. (You cannot just let it go)," he added.

He pointed out that if he does not seek the probe of the reports now, the pattern will only repeat itself. "This is a dry run for things to come later on. Kung ginagawa nila ito ngayon, gagawin pa nila lalo yan. (If they are doing this now, they will do it again)," he also said.