SC to Ombudsman: Charge erring judges

MANILA, Philippines — Ombudsman Crispin Remulla should file a complaint against judges if he has proof they had committed misconduct, the Supreme Court said in a rare response on Thursday.

During a budget hearing at the Senate earlier that day, Remulla questioned why some cases dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman were revived anew by the appellate court, which prompted his broad observation that the judiciary should go on a “soul searching” because of its “issues.”

The high court said in a statement “The Court takes allegations of partiality, misconduct and corruption seriously. It acts on such allegations when proper complaints are filed, evidence is presented and the judges or justices concerned are given the opportunity to respond.”

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“This will allow the court to determine the facts and, when warranted, exercise its disciplinary authority,” it added.

IBP weighs in

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) president Allan Panolong was also prompted to issue a statement saying it is “easy to paint corruption against our courts, but it needs to be substantiated.”

“The proper way is to make a formal complaint before the (Supreme Court) against the judge or justice who is allegedly involved in any corrupt act relative to a pending case before their sala so that appropriate investigation will be made and the judiciary official will be held accountable if found guilty,” Panolong said.

Remulla earlier said the high court should “police the judiciary” for being too lenient on respondents accused of graft.

He expressed frustration as to why court rules allowed them to post bail, at the court’s discretion, even after conviction. /cb