Senator Joel Villanueva denounced as “harassment” the recent statement of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who said he would push for the implementation of a 2016 dismissal order against the senator, as reported by RH Raymund Dadpaas.

According to Villanueva, there are no pending cases against him in the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.

He said he had already submitted a copy of the case dismissal to the Ombudsman on July 31, 2019, in relation to the case of malversation through falsification.

This was followed by official clearances issued by both the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, dated September 10, 2025, confirming that he has no pending administrative or criminal cases.

Villanueva explained that he had requested these clearances in anticipation of what he called “this kind of harassment.”

The senator also revealed that his legal team is preparing to file cases against those spreading what he described as “fake news” targeting him.

Earlier, Ombudsman Remulla announced that he would send a letter to Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, requesting the enforcement of the 2016 dismissal order against Villanueva.

What happened in 2016?

Reports in 2016 revealed that then-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the dismissal of Senator Joel Villanueva from public service over the alleged misuse of ₱10 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) when he was a party-list representative.

The order stemmed from charges of malversation, graft, and falsification of public documents, which were linked with the controversial ‘pork-barrel scam,' with Morales directing the filing of multiple counts under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Villanueva has since denied any wrongdoing, saying all related cases have been dismissed by both the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan.