Rowegie Abanto

Associate Justice Samuel Martires talks to the media after he gets sworn into office replacing Conchita Carpio Morales as Ombudsman at the Supreme Court in Manila on Monday, August 06, 2018. Martires starts his 7-year term as the country’s chief anti-graft investigator. George Calvelo, ABS CBN News

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Associate Justice Samuel Martires 

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176128764536920180806-ombudsman-martires-GC-5561.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Samuel Martires. <em>George Calvelo, ABS CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Former Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Friday defended the supposed secrecy of his ruling to reverse the order to dismiss from service Sen. Joel Villanueva, saying he was under no obligation to announce all decisions of the anti-graft office and he sought to protect a person&#x27;s dignity.</p><p>Martires&#x27; predecessor Conchita Carpio-Morales in 2016 ordered Villanueva dismissed after finding him liable for the misuse of his P10-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel released in 2008 when he was representative of party-list group CIBAC.</p><p>Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said he would seek to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/23/ombudsman-to-ask-senate-to-enforce-2016-dismissal-order-of-joel-villanueva-0912">implement Villanueva&#x27;s 2016 dismissal</a> but changed course after learning of Martires&#x27; &quot;secret&quot; reversal of the dismissal in 2019.</p><p>Remulla has since said <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/23/remulla-drops-bid-to-enforce-villanueva-dismissal-after-secret-reversal-1642">he would no longer enforce</a> the lawmaker&#x27;s expulsion.</p><p>Lawyer Paolo Tamase, assistant professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law, told ANC earlier in the day that while the law does not require the Ombudsman to publish its decisions, it was &quot;unusual&quot; for Martires not to report the reversal of Villanueva&#x27;s &quot;very public dismissal.&quot;</p><p>The Office of the Ombudsman, the professor noted, is the watchdog of the people, and it is not meant &quot;to look out for the interest of public officers.&quot;</p><p>Speaking to &quot;Dateline Philippines&quot; on ANC, Martires took issue with the characterization that his reversal of Villanueva&#x27;s dismissal was kept under wraps, saying publicizing all decisions was not part of his duty and arguing that even the Supreme Court does not announce all its verdicts.</p><p>&quot;Probably my successor is now doing it, but I did not want to be glorified at the expense of people whose guilt is not yet determined by the court,&quot; Martires said, noting that his office sent a copy of his decision to Senate President Vicente Sotto III at the time.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/24/ombudsman-oks-doj-filing-raps-vs-persons-tagged-in-bulacan-ghost-flood-projects-1109"><strong>Ombudsman OKs filing of raps vs persons tagged in 5 Bulacan ghost flood projects</strong></a></div><p>He also said that Villanueva and other respondents filed a motion for reconsideration of Morales&#x27; dismissal order within the allowable timeframe.</p><p>&quot;Kaya &#x27;di ako nagsasalita is not because pinoprotektahan ko ang mga taong ito. Kaya hindi ako nagsasalita dahil wala akong karapatan sirain ang kanilang future,&quot; Martires said.</p><p>(The reason why I was mum about this was not because I was protecting these people. I was keeping silent because I did not have the right to destroy their future.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;WALA AKONG KULAY POLITIKA&#x27;</strong></div><p>He explained that the function of the Ombudsman is to determine probable cause for purposes of filing a complaint and that the courts decide the guilt of an accused.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/24/-what-is-in-a-saln-and-how-is-it-used-to-fight-corruption-1208"><strong>What is in a SALN, and how is it used to fight corruption?</strong></a></div><p>&quot;Alam ko ho &#x27;yung nagki-criticize sa akin either Dilawan, Pinklawan kasi lahat ng bagay na nangyayari ngayon nilalagyan ng political color,&quot; said Martires, who described himself as apolitical.</p><p>(Those who criticize me are either Dilawan or Pinklawan because everything that is happening now is given political color. I do not subscribe to any political color)</p><p>He also raised doubts about his critics, asking whether they were paid by the complainant in the case to speak against him.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MARTIRES ALSO DEFENDS RESTRICTIVE SALN MEMO</strong></div><p>In the interview, he also defended his restrictive memorandum that made it difficult for the public to access the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth of public officials, saying the Ombudsman, one of the custodians of the document, is allowed to set rules on the issuance of SALNs.</p><p>He said his move to lay down guidelines, which required the approval or consent from the SALN filer, was <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/07/01/21/sc-junks-petition-saln-restriction">upheld by the Supreme Court</a>.</p><p>He asked his critics why they were not criticizing the Senate and the House of Representatives and the Judiciary for also setting guidelines on SALN access.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yun ang tanong naming lahat sa Ombudsman noong araw, bakit kami lagi ang sinisisi, dahil kami lang ang kaya?&quot;</p><p>(This was what we were asking at the Ombudsman back then: Why is the public throwing blame at us, just because they don&#x27;t fear us?)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REMULLA AGAIN HITS LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN REVERSAL OF CASE</strong></div><p>Remulla on Friday again hit the lack of transparency over Martires&#x27; dismissal of the pork barrel scam case against Villanueva, saying he did not learn about the reversal when he assumed office two weeks ago.</p><p>Remulla pointed out that even Villanueva&#x27;s colleagues at the Senate did not know about Martires&#x27; reversal of the dismissal order, noting that developments in the lawmaker&#x27;s case should be open to everyone because of high public interest.</p><p>He said he was studying the possibility of reopening the case.</p><div><strong>— With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UeqbcEKChvY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c4VI8xli03s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EAyrZal7UQQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Former Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Friday defended the supposed secrecy of his ruling to reverse the order to dismiss from service Sen. Joel Villanueva, saying he was under no obligation to announce all decisions of the anti-graft office and that he sought to protect a person's dignity.</p>

Former Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Friday defended the supposed secrecy of his ruling to reverse the order to dismiss from service Sen. Joel Villanueva, saying he was under no obligation to announce all decisions of the anti-graft office and that he sought to protect a person's dignity.

Martires defends 'secrecy' of Villanueva dismissal case reversal: I protect a person's dignity

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Martires defends 'secrecy' of Villanueva dismissal case reversal: I protect a person's dignity

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 24, 2025 02:57 PM PHT

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Samuel Martires

Ombudsman

Paolo Tamase

Jesus Crispin Remulla

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