Duterte fills deputy ombudsmen seats
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has named Presidential Management Staff Undersecretary Anderson Ang Lo as the new deputy ombudsman for Mindanao.
Acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar confirmed on Wednesday Lo’s appointment to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Lo is an undersecretary of the PMS, which was placed under the supervision of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President — based on this organizational structure. The OSAP was formerly headed by Sen. Bong Go, the long-time aide of Duterte.
As deputy ombudsman for Mindanao, Lo will have jurisdiction over complaints against public officials in the region, where Duterte’s clan has held power for decades.
Duterte also named Assistant Ombudsman Jose Mercado Balmeo Jr. as deputy ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices, based on appointment papers released by the Supreme Court Public Information Office on Wednesday.
The deputy ombudsman for the MOLEO has jurisdiction over the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Balmeo will also have jurisdiction over civilian employees of the military and law enforcement agencies.
Law enforcers during Duterte’s administration are facing complaints over the bloody “war on drugs” campaign.
The president has also picked lawyer Dante Vargas to be the deputy ombudsman ofr the Visayas, beating out retired Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and Office of the Ombudsman General Investigation Bureau’s Beda Epres.
Ombudsman Samuel Martires currently sits as head of the anti-graft office. He is expected to serve until July 2025, while the newly appointed deputy ombudsmen have seven years of service.
Judiciary vacancies filled
The SC PIO also said Duterte appointed Davao Del Sur Regional Trial Court Judge Ronald Suva Tolentino and Rogelio Gilzano Largo, reportedly a private law practitioner, as new Court of Appeals associate justices.
Tolentino will take over the spot of retired CA Justice Stephen Cruz, while Largo takes over the seat of Justice Danton Buesser.
Duterte also filled 30 vacant trial court judges seats in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Agusal del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Basilan, and Compostela Valley.
Late February, Duterte also completed the 15-member Supreme Court tribunal with the appointment of retired Elections Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. as the new associate justice of the high court.
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