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New Ombudsman vows fairness in handling of high-profile cases

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Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1428455" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA -<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>Newly appointed Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Friday dropped by the Office of the Ombudsman to pay a courtesy call to Special Prosecutor Edilberto Sandoval a day after President Duterte announced his appointment.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/26/18/duterte-appoints-martires-as-new-ombudsman">Duterte appoints Martires as new Ombudsman</a></li></ul><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Newly appointed Ombudsman Samuel Martires visits the Office of the Ombudsman, assures he will be fair in the discharge of his new job. Martires thanked God and President Duterte for his appointment. <a href="https://t.co/KWpUmSSjTM">pic.twitter.com/KWpUmSSjTM</a></p>— Adrian Ayalin (@adrianayalin) <a href="https://twitter.com/adrianayalin/status/1022672727377731585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Sandoval, who is senior to Martires and once served as Presiding Justice of the Sandiganbayan, is on top of cases being investigated at the Office of the Ombudsman as well as cases being tried at the anti-graft court. </p><p>Martires said he will be impartial in handling cases at the Office of the Ombudsman, where some of the pending high-profile cases involve former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, as well as incumbent officials, including the son of President Duterte, resigned Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte.</p><p>“Kung the evidence will show that there is a probable cause to file charges against any members of the family, why not? Kaya nga ako tinalaga dito. Pero kung wala naman, sana tanggapin,” Martires told reporters.</p><p>(If the evidence will show that there is a probable cause to file charges against any members of the family, why not? I was installed here for that reason. But if there is none, I hope they accept it.)</p><p>He however refused to talk about his plans on the pending cases at the Ombudsman.</p><p>“Nasa isip ko lahat yon. (Those are all in my mind) Right now I can’t talk about it. Just give me time to relax and to compose myself because I was surprised yesterday,” he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/20/18/watch-dutertes-first-appointee-to-sc-vies-for-ombudsman-post">WATCH: Martires undergoes JBC interview for Ombudsman post</a></li></ul><p>He also said he will not let politicians use the Office of the Ombudsman.</p><p>“I will not allow myself to be used by politicians to prosecute their political enemies. I don’t have that persecution complex,” Martires said.</p><p>For his part, Liberal Party president and Senator Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan said they trust Martires will be &quot;at the helm of an honest-to-goodness anti-corruption office that will not condone abuses and corruption of public officials, both allies and critics of the administration.</p><p>&quot;﻿We hope Ombudsman Martires will not be a tool of anyone, and will go after corrupt officials by building a strong case backed by evidence,&quot; he added. </p><div><strong>&#x27;FAITH-SHAMER&#x27; THANKS GOD</strong></div><p>Martires said he thanked God as well as President Duterte who made the announcement of his appointment in Zamboanga Sibugay Thursday afternoon.</p><p>“Ang tawag nila sa akin faith-shamer, eh kaya lang hindi ko maiiwasang magpasalamat sa Panginoon at ako ang na-appoint dahil matagal ko ng minimithi ito. Nagpapasalamat ako kay Presidente na ako ang napili niya,” Martires said.</p><p>(They call me the faith-shamer, but I can&#x27;t help but thank God that I was appointed because I wanted this for a long time. I thank the President that he picked me.)</p><p>Martires said he &quot;will look into&quot; the allegations of corruption at the Office of the Ombudsman, raised by lawyer Edna Batacan before the Judicial and Bar Coouncil.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/20/18/watch-ex-duterte-lawyer-wants-to-become-ombudsman">WATCH: Ex-Duterte lawyer wants to become Ombudsman</a></li></ul><p>He said he plans to resign immediately as Supreme Court Associate Justice so he can start working on August 1. He will serve a 7-year term.</p><p>Prior to his appointment, Martires was endorsed by 11 justices of the high court to the Judicial and Bar Council.</p><p>Given his appointment to the Ombudsman post, the 69-year-old Martires will have to go on early retirement from the judiciary as he has yet to reach the mandatory age of retirement of 70.</p><div><strong>BAND OF BEDANS</strong></div><p>Martires obtained his law degree from San Beda College, the President&#x27;s alma mater. </p><p>He served as a trial court judge in Agoo, La Union prior to his appointment to the Sandiganbayan on October 15, 2005 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.</p><p>In 2011, Martires penned the Sandiganbayan decision that junked graft charges against then-Davao City Mayor Duterte over the demolition of a park built by his political rival, Prospero Nograles.</p><p>A year later, Martires wrote the Sandiganbayan decision dismissing a P50-billion damage suit filed by the Philippine government 24 years later against the Marcoses, former Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin and several others in relation to the so-called Binondo Central Bank (BCB) during martial law.</p><p>He was also among the Sandiganbayan justices who handed down the decision approving the plea bargain deal entered into by alleged plunderer retired Major General Carlos Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman.</p><p>Earlier this year, Martires joined the majority of Supreme Court magistrates who voted for the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice via a grant of Solicitor General Jose Calida&#x27;s &quot;quo warranto&quot; petition.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/11/18/read-justice-martires-separate-opinion-on-sereno-ouster">READ: Justice Martires&#x27; separate opinion on Sereno ouster</a></li></ul>

<p>Newly appointed Ombudsman Samuel Martires said he will be impartial in handling cases at the Office of the Ombudsman, where some of the pending high-profile cases involve former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, as well as incumbent officials, including the son of President Duterte, resigned Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte.</p>

Newly appointed Ombudsman Samuel Martires said he will be impartial in handling cases at the Office of the Ombudsman, where some of the pending high-profile cases involve former Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, as well as incumbent officials, including the son of President Duterte, resigned Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte.

New Ombudsman vows fairness in handling of high-profile cases

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New Ombudsman vows fairness in handling of high-profile cases

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 27, 2018 12:19 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 28, 2018 01:47 AM PHT

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Samuel Martires

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