President Marcos has appointed Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Dante Vargas as Acting Ombudsman, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Vargas, who was first appointed as Deputy Ombudsman by then-president Rodrigo Duterte in March 2022, served as Graft...
To clear up allegations surrounding its financial status following a controversial investment, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) reported that its net income in the first six months of 2025 jumped by more than a quarter to ₱77 billion from ₱61 billion in the same period in 2024. In...
The Sandiganbayan has denied the disqualification of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) of the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) in handling the civil forfeiture case filed against businessman Ernest de Leon Escaler. Escaler is a respondent in the civil case docketed as SB-14-CVL-0002 for...
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has upheld its decision that ordered the dismissal of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) National Director Demosthenes R. Escoto. In an eight-page joint order, the OMB denied Escoto’s motion to reconsider its Feb. 5 orders that dismissed him from...
The six-month suspension of Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Monalisa C. Dimalanta had been cut short, and she is now poised to be back at the helm of the power industry’s regulatory body. A memorandum order from the Office of the Ombudsman dated October 22, 2024 stipulated that the...
The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) has dismissed the administrative charges against former Department of Health (DOH) secretary Francisco T. Duque III over the alleged anomalous purchases of Covid-19 supplies worth P41.4 billion in 2020. “The administrative charges for Grave Misconduct, Conduct...
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (PPAB) ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro has questioned the Office of the Ombudsman’s sough P115 million confidential funds for 2025, which is a massive increased from this year’s...
A veteran lawyer who is considered an ‘energy sector outsider’ is reportedly being eyed as prospective officer-in-charge (OIC) at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) while current Chairperson Monalisa C. Dimalanta is on six-month suspension as ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman....
Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino reiterated his position that only the Senate has a valid arrest warrant against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. (Photo from the Office of Senator Francis Tolentino) During the plenary session of the Senate on Tuesday, Sept. 10, Tolentino delivered...
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Monalisa C. Dimalanta will temporarily leave her office as chief regulator of the deregulated power industry to comply with the six-month suspension meted out by the Office of the Ombudsman. In a statement to the media, Dimalanta indicated that she will...
The six-month suspension meted by the Office of the Ombudsman against the chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is seen delaying the approvals of pending power supply agreements (PSAs) as well as the reserve price-setting for the auction of renewable energy (RE) capacities that are...
Ombudsman Samuel Martires (Screenshot from YouTube live) For Ombudsman Samuel Martires, the benefit of having confidential funds just isn't worth the accompanying drama. Because of this, Martires asked on Tuesday night, Aug. 27 the House...
