Duterte appoints Martires for ombudsman post

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administers the oath of office for the newly-appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires during a simple ceremony at the Music Room of Malacañan Palace on March 8, 2017. (King Rodriguez/Malacanang Photo)

The President appointed Associate Justice Samuel Martires for the second time – this time for the Ombudsman post.

Martires, whom President Rodrigo Roa Duterte once appointed in March last year to replace Jose Perez in the Supreme Court (SC), was now named to replace Conchita Carpio-Morales who retired last Wednesday, July 25. He was also the President’s very first appointee to the High court.

“We have a new Ombudsman. I signed the appointment of Justice Martires. He was strict in the Sandiganbayan, but he is bright and he is a fair man,” Duterte said during the 69^th anniversary of Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday.

He was referring to Martires’s 12-year-stint as an Associate Justice in the anti-graft court.

“Ang sabihin ko lang sa iyo (The only thing I will tell you), and this is my statement, do what is right,” he addressed Martires, saying that this is always his reminder for all his appointees.

Duterte explained that he has no power to order the new Ombudsman since they belong to “different departments” and they work independently.

The new Ombudsman and the Chief Executive are fraternity brothers in Lex Talionis of the San Beda Law School.

On July 17 this year, the SC unanimously recommended Martires to head the Office of the Ombudsman.

SC’s spokesperson Theodore Te said that he garnered 11 votes out of the 12 justices who were present in the session.

[READ: SC recommends Martires for ombudsman post]

This, however, drew flak from the Group of Evangelical and Catholic theological educators.

[READ: Group outraged over SC recommendation of Martires for Ombudsman]

“To appoint someone with such a history of enduring bias and questionable integrity violates the Constitutional mandate and purposely blurs its vision,” the group’s spokesperson, Dr. Annelle Sabanal said in a statement, following the SC’s move.