High court unanimously recommends Martires to Ombudsman post

THE SUPREME COURT (SC) on Tuesday unanimously recommended Associate Justice Samuel R. Martires to the post of Ombudsman, according to SC spokesperson Theodore O. Te.

“He obtained 11 votes of the 12 justices who were present,” Mr. Te told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday.

Mr. Te said Associate Justices Estela M. PerlasBernabe and Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa were not present to vote.

Among the nominees, the SC also voted for Special Prosecutor Edilberto G. Sandoval (four votes) and Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III (three votes), according to Mr. Te.

Messrs. Martires, Sandoval, and Bello are competing with seven other nominees vying to replace outgoing Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales who is set to retire on July 26.

BusinessWorld reported on June 18 that Mr. Martires’s candidacy for the post was challenged by a group of clergymen and religious academics over his “bias and partiality” in the quo warranto petition that ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno on May 11 wherein he was also accused of “faith-shaming” Ms. Sereno.

In response, Mr. Martires apologized during his interview with the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on June 20, saying he meant to defend Ms. Sereno and not shame her.

Ms. Sereno had sought the inhibition of Mr. Martires from the case along with Associate Justices Diosdado M. Peralta, Teresita L. De Castro, Francis H. Jardeleza, Lucas P. Bersamin, and Noel G. Tijam, the author of the decision, for their alleged bias towards her.

All six, together with Associate Justices Andres B. Reyes, Jr. and Alexander G. Gesmundo, voted to grant Solicitor-General Jose C. Calida’s quo warranto petition to void Ms. Sereno’s appointment as Chief Justice for lack of integrity.