Ombudsman Remulla urges deeper reforms to curb corruption
MANILA, Philippines — Accountability alone cannot cure corruption, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said, urging the government to pursue deeper systemic reforms and warning that without them, “the same abuses will continue under new names and under new faces.”
Remulla made the remarks as he unveiled plans to fully digitalize the Office of the Ombudsman by next year, part of a national strategy scheduled for completion by February.
READ: Ombudsman lifts ‘tough barriers’ to SALN access
“Accountability is mandatory, but it is not enough. If all we do is punish without reforming, then we are merely managing the symptoms of a deeper disease. We must perform a harder task — fixing the systems that allowed corruption to take root, strengthening the rules that were too weak, and redesigning processes that failed the people,” Remulla said during the 2025 National Anti-Corruption Summit on Tuesday.
“We must move past asking who is at fault. What must change? Because without reform, the same abuses will continue under new names and under new faces. Accountability corrects the past, but reform secures the future. And we cannot accept anything less,” he added.
Remulla said corruption thrives where data is weak and paper trails disappear, prompting his office to build a fully digital Ombudsman with integrated systems, digital forensics, AI-supported verification, and secure investigative workflows.
“To the government agencies present today, I encourage you to take a look at your digital systems and strive to meet the highest standards of technology and efficiency. After all, a digital state should be a cleaner state,” he added.
He also emphasized that his office will “refuse to be a reference of politics.”
“The institution with constitutionally fixed autonomy upholds our constitutional record. As an institution, the Ombudsman must be a formidable partner to the public,” Remulla said.
Remulla took his oath as the country’s seventh Ombudsman in October. Under his term, the anti-graft body has lifted restrictions on public access to statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of government officials, reversing the policy of his predecessor, Samuel Martires.
Since taking office, the Ombudsman has filed several high-profile cases. Last week, malversation and graft charges were lodged against Sarah Discaya and others over the P96.5-million “ghost project” in Davao Occidental before the Regional Trial Court of Digos City.
In October, the office also filed graft and malversation cases against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co and others over the P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro — marking the first batch of flood-control-related cases filed before the Sandiganbayan under Remulla’s term. /jpv
