Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla on Monday brushed off the complaint filed against him and several Cabinet officials by Davao City Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, calling it an act of “forum shopping” intended to disrupt his application as Ombudsman.

Speaking to reporters, Remulla downplayed the complaint as a political maneuver. He said it was part of an organized effort to block his potential appointment as Ombudsman by burdening him with pending cases before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

“They want to make it impossible for the JBC to get the requirements that I have to submit, and it’s really an organized effort for them to shoot down my candidacy as Ombudsman,” he said.

Despite the complaint, Remulla expressed confidence in overcoming the legal challenges.

“We could still prevail. I think the truth is on my side. It’s guaranteed,” he added.

The Justice Secretary stressed that the allegations had no legal basis and were a repeat of earlier cases, which he said only highlighted the Duterte camp’s attempts to undermine his qualifications for the Ombudsman post.

The case filed against Remulla and other Marcos admin officials involves allegations of kidnapping, arbitrary detention, and other offenses linked to the supposed “surrender” of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 11.