The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) clarified that Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Boying Remulla remains among the contenders for the position of Ombudsman.
This comes after circulating reports claimed that Remulla had been “disqualified” from the selection process.
According to Supreme Court spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting, it is still “premature” to conclude anything, as the JBC has yet to finalize and release the official shortlist of candidates to replace incumbent Ombudsman Samuel Martires, who is set to retire this month.
“The JBC has not yet commenced the vetting process, as the official list of applicants under consideration has yet to be published,” Ting said.
Remulla, for his part, stressed that he will not easily withdraw his application.
This statement comes despite Senator Imee Marcos’ call for the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate certain government officials allegedly involved in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest order against former President Rodrigo Duterte last March.
“I’m not giving up on my application,” Remulla asserted.