Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on Saturday, May 23, criticized some members of the Senate for allegedly focusing too much on the 2028 elections instead of addressing pressing national and international concerns affecting Filipinos.

He, however, did not identify which senators he believed were already politicking ahead of the 2028 polls.

During an interview with DZRH, Remulla said lawmakers should prioritize their duties and tackle issues involving the economy, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

“Masyado sila nakatingin sa 2028. Ngayon madaming problema ang bayan. ‘Yun muna. Tsaka na yung 2028. Do your duty, perform. Ganon lang ‘yan (They are too focused on 2028. Right now, the country has many problems. Those should come first. Leave 2028 for later. Do your duty, perform. It’s as simple as that),” Remulla said.

He also took a swipe at some lawmakers whom he accused of merely posturing instead of delivering meaningful work.

“If you will not perform, don’t japorm. Ayaw ng tao ng porma nang porma (If you will not perform, then don’t just show off. People are tired of all style and no substance),” he added.

Remulla lamented what he described as the lack of substantial discussions in the Senate on key national and global issues.

“Wala naman akong naririnig na privilege speeches nila about the crisis in the Middle East, about the plight of OFWs, the economy. Nawawalan ng intellectual content (I have not heard any privilege speeches from them about the crisis in the Middle East, the plight of OFWs, or the economy. The discussions are losing intellectual content),” he said.

“Lagyan naman nila ng intellectual content, debatable propositions para magisip naman ang tao kung anong dapat gawin. How to cope with the realities of today (They should put more intellectual content and debatable propositions so people can think about what should be done and how to cope with today’s realities),” he added.

Remulla said senators should live up to the public’s expectations of being statesmen capable of helping steer the country through difficult issues.

“Kaya natin sinasabi ‘yan kasi gusto natin ang mga senators mabigyan ng benefit of the doubt na they are important to the country. Otherwise, kung ganyan lang, mag-unicameral na lang tayo kung ‘di kaya dalhin ang responsibilidad na maging senior statesman (We are saying this because we want senators to be given the benefit of the doubt that they are important to the country. Otherwise, if that is all they can do, then we might as well shift to a unicameral system if they cannot carry the responsibility of being senior statesmen),” he said.

As such, he stressed that senators are expected to be among the country’s wisest and most mature leaders.

“Ang image ng senator sa talagang intent of the law, these are the wise men of the country. Dapat matatalinong tao ‘yan na talagang marunong tumingin sa problema, pati maayos, very mature. Kaya tama na ‘yung mga ganong asal (The image of a senator, based on the true intent of the law, is that they are the wise men of the country. They should be intelligent people who know how to look at problems properly and act in a mature manner. That is why such behavior should stop),” Remulla added.

The country is set to hold its next national and local elections in May 2028.