The Iglesia ni Cristo rally held on Tuesday, June 30, has placed the Office of the Ombudsman between a rock and a hard place, said a political analyst.

On one hand, Professor Froilan Calilung said that if the Ombudsman chooses to listen to public outcry and change its position on the matter of Senator Rodante Marcoleta’s plunder case, it would prove that its decision was made arbitrarily.

“If he changes his position, then it only means to show na talagang arbitrary ‘yung kanyang decision, na talagang it was a knee-jerk reaction, hindi talaga pinag-isipan, medyo kulang maaari doon sa ebidensya,” he said.

On the other hand, if Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla chooses to stand firm on the Sandiganbayan case, it may cause widespread turmoil, which would be disadvantageous to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the analyst said.

“Kung itutuloy naman niya, at ngayong nakita na niya ‘yung show of force ng ating mga kapatid sa Iglesia, medyo mahihirapan din siya kung ito ay itutuloy niya. Baka magdulot ito ng mas malaking kaguluhan na siyempre medyo hindi na masasang-ayunan ng ating Pangulo. He is quite in a precarious, dangerous situation,” Calilung explained during an interview with DZRH.

He further stressed that if Remulla admits to having been in the wrong about his decision to pursue charges against the senator, the declaration may “open floodgates of doubt” concerning the other arrests made.

“When you’re the Ombudsman, there’s really no room for errors, everything should actually be based on facts and evidences because you’re trying to uphold the law. And if this is the case, then I think the public will be really dismayed over how the Ombudsman is running the affairs,” Calilung said.

Earlier, he also said that state-run institutions and resources were seemingly being “weaponized” to benefit the current administration.

“It’s always geared toward what is politically convenient to the ruling administration, which is not supposed to be the case,” the professor said.

The case stems from ₱75 million in donations allegedly received by Senator Marcoleta while a congressman under the SAGIP party-list, according to reports. The Ombudsman asserted that this exceeds the ₱50 million threshold for plunder, and that he should also be charged with indirect bribery.