Metro Manila, Philippines – Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he will not apply for the chief justice post, debunking reports that he could replace Alexander Gesmundo, who will retire in November.
“I’m not applying,” Remulla told reporters in a chance interview on Thursday, Sept. 3, after a Senate budget hearing on his office’s 2027 expenditure program.
Remulla’s seven-year term as ombudsman ends in 2032, or within the next administration. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him in October 2025. He was previously justice secretary from June 2022.
At the finance committee hearing, Remulla lamented delays in the justice system, noting that cases filed as early as 1987 remain pending before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. He said many cases have been pending for as long as 15 years.
“If there’s one thing that was never touched with all the EDSAs that happened in this country, it’s the judiciary. Never has the judiciary accounted for anything that they’ve been doing. It is something we have to examine as a country,” he said.
He said problems in the judiciary have persisted for the longest time and acknowledged that his comments may have been distressing to Gesmundo. He, however, indicated that he is not seeking another post in the judiciary.
“I’m daring to do this your honor because I have no more aspirations. This is the job I want for myself and for the country to be able to finish this job,” Remulla said.
Gesmundo will retire on Nov. 6. The Judicial and Bar Council has opened the application and nomination period for the next chief justice until Oct. 13.
