THE Office of the Ombudsman has released documents pertaining to the complaints filed against Senator Joel Villanueva over the alleged misuse of his pork barrel, following a vow from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to make public the resolutions on complaints filed before his office. The release has ignited controversy surrounding a previous decision to clear Villanueva of wrongdoing, which Remulla himself has called a “secret decision.”
The newly released documents reveal that in July 2019, the Office of the Ombudsman, then under the leadership of Samuel Martires, reversed a 2016 resolution that found probable cause against Villanueva for malversation of public funds, malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents, and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. This reversal effectively overturned a 2016 order by former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to dismiss Villanueva from public service after finding him guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the interest of service over his alleged involvement in a P10-million pork barrel scam.
The 2019 decision, which granted Villanueva’s motions for reconsideration, stated that “there is no probable cause against Villanueva as it was not shown that he was actually involved in the embezzlement of the Php9,700,000.00 in public funds.” The Ombudsman also noted that the signature on Villanueva’s acceptance reports was “obviously forged.”
Remulla’s decision to release these documents comes after he initially stated that he would ask Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to enforce Morales’ 2016 dismissal order, only to later learn that the decision had been reversed by Martires. Remulla has since called the dismissal of the complaints against Villanueva “a secret decision,” raising questions about the transparency of the Ombudsman’s office under Martires. Martires, in response, said he could not recall why the July 2019 decision on the Villanueva case was not made publicly available.
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