Four farm lots purchased in Indang, Cavite largely drove a nearly P20-million rise in the declared wealth of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla during his initial months as the country’s top graft-buster.
Documents secured by The STAR from the Office of the Ombudsman placed the combined net worth of Remulla and his wife, Ma. Josefina, at P461.411 million as of Dec. 31, 2025 — up from P441.737 million when he filed his first statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in October. The figure represents total assets minus total liabilities.
The bulk of the new acquisitions came from agricultural property. One of the four Indang lots was bought in 2024 for P20.032 million, while the remaining three were purchased in 2025 at P1.8 million, P5.224 million and P8.087 million. A residential lot in Cavite acquired in 2022 for P3.2 million also figured in the year-end declaration.
Several holdings listed earlier in the year were no longer reflected by December. These included a P4.5-million Baguio City house and lot purchased in 2024, along with three Bacoor City lots valued at P1.272 million, P976,248 and P1.342 million.
As of Oct. 10, 2025, the couple reported P442.037 million in total assets — P83.237 million in real property and P358.8 million in personal property covering stocks, bank deposits, furniture, jewelry, personal effects and vehicles. Their bank holdings, however, dipped over the quarter, sliding from P300 million to P297.219 million by year’s end.
Their declared obligations stood at P300,000, tied to a personal loan and an unpaid corporate subscription to La Poch Villa Realty Inc. The family also holds equity in South Livestock, South 7 Realty and La Poch Villa Realty.
Remulla took his oath as Ombudsman on Oct. 9, 2025, moving over from his post as justice secretary. Commission on Audit records for 2025 ranked him as the second highest-compensated member of the Cabinet, with net pay of P5.97 million. Of that amount, P2.93 million came from his DOJ basic salary covering the year’s first 10 months. He drew no basic salary after assuming the Ombudsman post but collected P1.269 million in allowances and P659,716 in bonuses, incentives and benefits.
