Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla launched an Investors' Window during an Oct. 22, 2026 meeting in Cebu City to let business owners directly report official corruption, extortion, and permit delays.
Remulla vowed to immediately suspend government officials who fail to act after receiving notices from the Anti-Red Tape Authority regarding delayed business permits.
Highlighting corruption as a major barrier to economic growth, Remulla warned that his office will resist political pressure and move to remove mayors who obstruct business operations.
OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla vowed to suspend government officials who obstruct legitimate business operations, warning that corruption, extortion and the withholding of permits will stop as he pushed for accountability.
During a dialogue with members of Cebu’s lechon industry in Cebu City on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, Remulla announced that the Office of the Ombudsman opened an Investors’ Window.
This channel allows business owners to report officials who demand money, abuse authority or delay transactions, addressing the impunity of corruption where public officials allegedly pressure entrepreneurs for payoffs in exchange for approvals.
Easing operations
He stressed that the government must make business operations easier because obstacles increase expenses, discourage investments and undermine economic growth.
“If the Anti-Red Tape Authority reports to us that a permit is not being issued, we will write to the concerned official. If the official still fails to act after that, we will immediately suspend that official. I can assure you of that. The law has given us the power to do this,” Remulla said, with his statements translated from Tagalog.
The Ombudsman emphasized that the mechanism allows the business community to bring concerns directly to his office to address corruption, delays and abuse of authority.
“We are opening this Investors’ Window at the Ombudsman’s Office. Businesses will be able to tell us about all their problems, and we will find ways to address them,” he said.
The announcement follows concerns over officials who demand repeated payments from entrepreneurs, which makes business approvals and operations difficult. He described the situation as entrenched corruption spanning from the barangay level to higher positions.
“What is happening now is what we call the impunity of corruption. There is abuse everywhere, from barangay captains and council members to barangay watchmen and officials in higher positions. The extortion is excessive. Business owners are being made to suffer. Officials keep demanding money and deliberately holding things up,” Remulla said.
Economic partners
He lamented that officials demand one-time payments and position themselves as partners expecting a percentage of business earnings. These practices increase business costs and hinder entrepreneurs from expanding operations, creating jobs and contributing to the economy.
“It has reached the point where some officials have become partners of business owners. They demand a percentage of what you earn. Your cost of doing business increases because many people deliberately obstruct your operations, and that is what we want to change,” he said.
Remulla stressed that public service facilitates economic activity by stopping harassment, delays and monetary demands.
“The government should not operate that way. It should be there to assist businesses because you are the economy. Without businesses, the economy is nothing,” he said.
Firm accountability
Consumer purchasing power drives the lechon sector, a point Remulla highlighted during his meeting with the industry. He added that economic development requires a successful business environment and purchasing power for Filipinos.
“For those of you in the lechon industry, what you want is for people to have purchasing power so they can afford to buy lechon. If people do not have purchasing power, they will not be able to buy it,” he said. “A better economy and a better business community mean a better country because people become more prosperous. There should be no one permanently above others and no one left below.”
The Ombudsman pointed to corruption as an obstacle to investments and business growth, noting that excessive demands burden entrepreneurs and discourage expansions. Citing his experience in Cavite, Remulla said careful planning and ensuring the government continue to work for the people promotes economic progress.
He indicated that local chief executives in Cavite face sanctions for corruption and failing to cooperate with businesses.
“I am going to remove one or two mayors in Cavite because they are not cooperating with businesses. They are making things unnecessarily difficult, and corruption is excessive. They are abusing their power,” Remulla said.
His remarks underscored warnings that officials who obstruct businesses or demand payments face consequences regardless of rank or political influence. Remulla assured the business community that his office resists pressure to protect individuals from investigation, maintaining that requests fail to stop its mandate.
“We receive a great deal of pressure. People tell us to protect certain individuals, not to pursue them, not to put them in jail and not to file cases against them. We will not give in to that. We have to do our job, and we will carry it out,” he said.
The Investors’ Window, part of the Investment Ombudsman program, strengthens engagement with the business sector by providing a venue to raise concerns about commercial interference. Remulla emphasized that restoring public confidence requires integrity and harassment-free operations, offering Cebu’s enterprises a direct avenue for complaints regarding delayed transactions.
His warning signals a push for accountability and official suspensions, reinforcing that the government serves as an economic partner rather than an obstacle to employment and prosperity. / ABC