There is sky‑high interest among the country’s top lawyers in joining the Office of the Ombudsman as its pursuit of master plunderer and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez finally led to his arrest on Sept. 7.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, asked by PGMN Founder and CEO Franco Mabanta, revealed that 3,000 high‑level lawyers applied for just 100 available positions.
Clavano said the applicants came from the country’s best schools and included professionals with investigative skills and backgrounds in engineering, medicine, accounting, and other fields. He noted that many Filipinos, especially young professionals, want to contribute during a critical moment and “become part of the solution.”
The surge comes as the Ombudsman strengthens its capacity while handling major corruption investigations. The agency has 2,439 authorized positions but only 1,192 filled, leaving a 51.1% vacancy rate, according to figures presented during a Sept. 3 Senate hearing.
The Ombudsman hired 60 lawyers in 2026 and expects to add 40 more by November. Clavano said the agency needs a dynamic workforce that can keep pace with increasingly complex corruption cases.
“We want dynamic people in the Office of the Ombudsman so that even if corruption continues to be dynamic, as it will be, we can still keep up and hopefully even get a step ahead,” he said.
The timing carried weight. On Sept. 7, the same day Clavano spoke with Mabanta, the Ombudsman filed a ₱7.44‑billion non‑bailable plunder case against Romualdez and three others before the Sandiganbayan. Later that day, the Third Division issued arrest warrants and hold departure orders after finding probable cause. Authorities arrested Romualdez at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, where he was confined after a reported cardiovascular event, unstable blood pressure, and anxiety attack.
By Sept. 10, the Sandiganbayan ordered Romualdez’s transfer to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas under the BJMP. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 14, though his camp continues to claim he is “medically unfit to travel.”
The developments placed the Ombudsman at the center of one of the country’s most closely watched corruption cases. Clavano said the flood of applications reflects a growing desire among Filipinos to help confront corruption.
The ₱7.44‑billion plunder case is only the beginning, with more plunder and money‑laundering charges expected. For millions of Filipinos left to endure flooding while ghost flood‑control projects failed them, the court’s decision marks a victory against the master plunderer.
It also stands as a triumph for Peanut Gallery Media Network‘s relentless exposés, now on their 11th consecutive week, amassing more than 240 million views across over 2,000 posts—cementing the most viral anti‑corruption campaign ever mounted against a single figure in Philippine social media history. Even as Romualdez fought back with over 80 lawsuits, the barrage only grew louder. And now, he’s going to jail.
