Samuel Reyes Martires (; born January 2, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer serving as the
Ombudsman of the Philippines
The Ombudsman of the Philippines, also known as Tanodbayan ng Pilipinas, is an ombudsman responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption.
Functions
Under the 1 ...
since 2018. He was an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of ...
from 2017 to 2018.
Early life
Samuel Reyes Martires was born on January 2, 1949, in
Palapag
Palapag, officially the Municipality of Palapag ( war, Bungto han Palapag; tl, Bayan ng Palapag), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,034 people.
It i ...
,
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
(now in
Northern Samar
Northern Samar ( war, Amihanan Samar/Norte san Samar; tl, Hilagang Samar), officially the Province of Northern Samar, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas Regions of the Philippines, regio ...
).
His father died when he was five years old. When he was in high school, he wanted to become a priest; he sought permission from his mother to become a missionary but was denied. Some of his relatives were
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priests: two of his father's cousins were
Benedictines
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
while
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Julio Rosales
Julio Cardinal Rosales y Ras (September 18, 1906 – June 2, 1983), the second Archbishop of Cebu, was a Filipino cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A native of Calbayog, he made his studies at the Seminary of Calbayog and was ordained in h ...
, the
Archbishop of Cebu, was a relative of his grandfather. According to Martires, he continued to dream of priesthood until he met his would-be wife Cecilia.
Martires attended
Manuel L. Quezon University
The Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational basic and higher education institution in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is named after the second president of the Philippine Manuel L. Quezon.
History
...
in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
and graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1971. He then earned his
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from
San Beda College
es, Universidad de San Beda
, image = San Beda University seal.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = University Seal
, latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ
, former_names ...
in 1975 and passed the
bar exam
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...
the following year, becoming the first lawyer in his family.
At San Beda, he became a brother of the
Lex Talionis Fraternitas
''Lex Talionis Fraternitas, Inc. Sodalitas Ducum Futurorum'' is an exclusive fraternal organization of Filipino jurists, legal practitioners, and law students founded on September 28, 1969, at the San Beda College of Law. A chapter in the Ateneo ...
.
Judicial career
After qualifying as a lawyer, he worked as a legal officer for the
Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communication until 1979. He then became an assistant department manager at the
Ministry of Human Settlements until 1984.
Martires was also involved in some small business ventures. After the
1986 People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
, he received an offer to become a judge, which he declined, citing the low salary and their ill reputation of being corrupt. His mother, however, wanted him to join the judiciary.
Beginning in 1987, he went into private practice as a litigator handling mostly
civil cases
Civil law is a major branch of the law. Glanville Williams. ''Learning the Law''. Eleventh Edition. Stevens. 1982. p. 2. In common law legal systems such as England and Wales and the United States, the term refers to non- criminal law. The law r ...
.
Martires enrolled in the
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
program of the
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...
but only earned 27 units.
Regional Trial Court
In June 1998, a month after his mother's death, he submitted his application to become a trial court judge. In July 2000, he became the presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 32 of
Agoo
Agoo, officially the Municipality of Agoo ( ilo, Ili ti Agoo; pag, Baley na Agoo; fil, Bayan ng Agoo), is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,028 people.
Ago ...
,
La Union
La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...
.
In 2002, Judge Caroline Pangan of the
Rosario, La Union
Rosario, officially the Municipality of Rosario ( ilo, Ili ti Rosario; pag, Baley na Rosario; fil, Bayan ng Rosario), is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,2 ...
Municipal Trial Court filed an administrative complaint to the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
against Martires and fellow Agoo RTC judge Clifton U. Ganay. She accused the two judges of "gross ignorance of the law, incompetence, abuse of authority and dereliction of duty". Martires allegedly refused to issue a warrant of arrest for a murder suspect despite the presence of evidence and the urgings of the prosecution. The complaint was dismissed for lack of merit.
Supreme Court of the Philippines
President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
appointed him as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on March 2, 2017. Prior to his appointment, he had served as associate justice of the
Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public officer ...
from 2005 to 2017.
On May 11, 2018, Martires was one of the eight justices who voted in favor of the ''
quo warranto
In law, especially English and American common law, ''quo warranto'' (Medieval Latin for "by what warrant?") is a prerogative writ requiring the person to whom it is directed to show what authority they have for exercising some right, power, or ...
'' petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against then-Chief Justice
Maria Lourdes Sereno
Maria Lourdes "Meilou" Aranal Sereno (; born Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal; July 2, 1960) is a Filipina lawyer and judge who served as de facto chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2012 until her removal in 2018.
Appoin ...
.
In his
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
decision acquitting two men of rape in 2018 (concurred by Associate Justices
Presbitero Velasco Jr.
Presbitero Jose Velasco Jr. (born August 8, 1948) is the incumbent Governor of Marinduque and was a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Ma ...
,
Lucas Bersamin
Lucas Purugganan Bersamin (born October 18, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer and jurist who currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Philippines. Bersamin previously served on the Supreme Court of the Philippines for 10 years, first as an ...
,
Marvic Leonen
Marvic Mario Victor Famorca Leonen (born December 29, 1962) is the Senior associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since May 14, 2022 upon the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. He became an associate ...
, and
Alexander Gesmundo
Alexander Gahon Gesmundo (born November 6, 1956) is serving as the chief justice of the Philippines since April 5, 2021. He replaced Diosdado Peralta, who retired early on March 27, 2021. He previously served as an associate justice of the Supre ...
), Martires rejected the application of the decades-long
María Clara doctrine in trial courts' decision of rape cases, saying that it "borders on the fallacy of ''
non-sequitur''" and that doing so would put the accused "at an unfair disadvantage" and bring forth a "travesty of justice". Martires argued that the doctrine has become obsolete, as women over the years have become less reluctant to disclose sexual abuse committed against them.
Ombudsman of the Philippines
On July 26, 2018, he was appointed as the 6th
Ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
by President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
, replacing then-outgoing Ombudsman
Conchita Carpio-Morales
Conchita Carpio-Morales (; born Conchita Claudio Carpio; June 19, 1941) is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman, she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the ...
.
In 2019, media outlets reported that Martires' Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) reflected an increase of PHP15 million over a 5-month period. To provide context, Ombudsman spent a cumulative of 17 years in the judiciary: as judge in the Regional Trial Court (Agoo, La Union), Justice of the Sandiganbayan (Anti-Graft Court) and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The said increase in the amount of his net worth in the SALN was on account of his retirement benefits. In fact, there are public records to substantiate this increase in his net worth.
In September 2020, Martires issued a memorandum circular regarding the releasing of copies of the SALN of public officials. The said guidelines were criticized for adding more restrictions on who can acquire copies of the documents. Under the new guidelines, the people who can request copies of SALNs are the public officials who filed them or their representatives, a court as part of a case, and the Ombudsman's field investigators. The public, especially the media, are now required to present a notarized letter from the public official whose SALN they intend to see.
The memorandum cited "The Code of Conduct for Public Officials" (Republic Act No. 6713), however, the aforementioned law allows journalists to obtain copies of officials' SALNs and report on them.
He announced that his office will stop conducting lifestyle checks on public officials, reasoning that having a luxurious lifestyle does not prove that an official is corrupt.
He also criticized lifestyle checks as "illogical" and "purely" based on estimates.
He also claimed that the SALNs and lifestyle checks are used by the media and political rivals to "extort" government officials.
In 2021, Martires proposed a bill to imprison or fine anyone reporting on a government official's statement of wealth. Congress Representative
Carlos Zarate, lawyers, and journalists criticized the proposal, saying that it violates the Constitution and limits the freedom of the press and the public's right to hold public officials accountable for acts of corruption.
Martires has suggested that the Office of the Ombudsman should be abolished, citing the lack of witnesses and their refusal to testify or file affidavits makes investigations more difficult and thus renders the office unnecessary. His predecessor Conchita Carpio-Morales criticized his proposal, arguing that it will "open floodgates to the commission of more corrupt activities."
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martires, Samuel R.
1949 births
Living people
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Justices of the Sandiganbayan
20th-century Filipino lawyers
San Beda University alumni
Ombudsmen in the Philippines
University of Santo Tomas alumni
Duterte administration personnel
21st-century Filipino judges