Villanueva dismissal plan dropped

OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Thursday said he will no longer send a letter to Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III to enforce the 2016 dismissal order against Senator Joel J. Villanueva, after learning that the case had already been reversed by his predecessor.

Mr. Remulla told reporters he was “surprised” by what he described as a “secret decision” of former Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, who granted Mr. Villanueva’s motion for reconsideration, effectively overturning the dismissal order issued in 2016 by then Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

The earlier order stemmed from the findings that Mr. Villanueva was administratively liable for the alleged misuse of P10 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in 2008, when he was still a CIBAC party-list representative.

The Ombudsman at the time found him guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, ordering his dismissal and perpetual disqualification from public office.

The directive, however, was never implemented after the Senate in 2016 ruled that the Ombudsman had no jurisdiction over sitting legislators. Following the Senate legal counsel’s opinion, the chamber adopted the position that only the Senate may discipline its members — through its Committee on Ethics and Privileges and a two-thirds vote of all senators.

Mr. Villanueva said in a Viber group chat with reporters that they had already anticipated possible “harassment” and “fake news.” He also shared documents showing that the case was dismissed in 2019, along with a clearance from the Office of the Ombudsman dated 2025.

The certification, signed by Ombudsman representative Marin Agnes L. Forteza, stated that as of Sept. 9, he had no pending criminal or administrative cases with the agency.

In a separate Viber group chat, Mr. Sotto earlier in the day told reporters that he “cannot comment” yet while he awaits official communication from the Ombudsman. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking