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Samuel Martires
Samuel Reyes Martires (Tagalog: [sɐmˈwɛl ˈrɛjɛs ˌmaːɾtɪˈrɛs]; born January 2, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer who previously served as the Ombudsman of the Philippines from 2018 until 2025. He was appointed to the post by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2018.
Martires has repeatedly called for less transparency in government throughout his tenure as Ombudsman, directly taking steps to conceal information on government officials' wealth from the public and calling for the imprisonment of people who make "commentaries" on officials' wealth, earning him criticism as a protector of corrupt politicians.
Samuel Reyes Martires was born on January 2, 1949, in Palapag, Samar (now in Northern Samar). 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 priests: two of his father's cousins were Benedictines while Cardinal Julio Rosales, 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 in Quezon City and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He then earned his Bachelor of Laws from San Beda College in 1975 and passed the bar exam the following year, becoming the first lawyer in his family.
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, 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.
Martires enrolled in the Master of Laws program of the University of Santo Tomas but only earned 27 units.
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, La Union.
In 2002, Judge Caroline Pangan of the Rosario, La Union Municipal Trial Court filed an administrative complaint to the Supreme Court 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.
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Samuel Martires
Samuel Reyes Martires (Tagalog: [sɐmˈwɛl ˈrɛjɛs ˌmaːɾtɪˈrɛs]; born January 2, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer who previously served as the Ombudsman of the Philippines from 2018 until 2025. He was appointed to the post by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2018.
Martires has repeatedly called for less transparency in government throughout his tenure as Ombudsman, directly taking steps to conceal information on government officials' wealth from the public and calling for the imprisonment of people who make "commentaries" on officials' wealth, earning him criticism as a protector of corrupt politicians.
Samuel Reyes Martires was born on January 2, 1949, in Palapag, Samar (now in Northern Samar). 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 priests: two of his father's cousins were Benedictines while Cardinal Julio Rosales, 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 in Quezon City and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He then earned his Bachelor of Laws from San Beda College in 1975 and passed the bar exam the following year, becoming the first lawyer in his family.
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, 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.
Martires enrolled in the Master of Laws program of the University of Santo Tomas but only earned 27 units.
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, La Union.
In 2002, Judge Caroline Pangan of the Rosario, La Union Municipal Trial Court filed an administrative complaint to the Supreme Court 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.
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