Wanted: Government graft-busters

The Ombudsman investigator’s task today is not an easy one: each is asked to keep an eye on up to 40,000 public servants — from the lowly clerk to the influential Cabinet official — who are daily exposed to graft and corruption in various branches of government.

Assistant Ombudsman Evelyn Baliton told a media forum in Quezon City the other day that, at present, the Ombudsman has only 37 field investigators to watch over 1.5 million government officials and employees.

This figure stands in stark contrast to the Hong Kong Ombudsman’s office, which fields one investigator for every 287 public servants. The Philippine Ombudsman’s budget of P490 million allocated by the national government is paltry compared to its Hong Kong counterpart, which receives an equivalent of P4 billion.

But despite the overwhelming shortage of manpower and finances, the Office of the Ombudsman is working overtime to resolve more than 17,000 cases pending before the anti-graft body.

Baliton said their office prosecuted and jailed some 2,000 public servants convicted by the Sandiganbayan — the government’s anti-graft court — for various crimes while simultaneously performing their official functions.

Among the celebrated cases being handled by the Ombudsman are the investigations of multibillion-peso anomalies in government and lifestyle checks on government officials that have led to their suspension and forfeiture of their ill-gotten wealth.

The need to upgrade the manpower and budget requirements of the Office of the Ombudsman comes amid criticism over the selection process for the replacement of its head, Simeon Marcelo, who tendered his irrevocable resignation due to health reasons, and calls by a US non-government funding organization for transparency in its appointments.

Vincent Lazatin, chairman of the Transparency Accountability Network (TAN), said that while there is an urgent need to name a replacement immediately, acting hastily could stir questions about the integrity of the selection process.

"A slower, more deliberate and transparent process will not only help build confidence in out anti-corruption institution but also in the Judicial and Bar Council itself," Lazatin said.

The Judicial and Bar Council had earlier announced the name of 15 candidates for the new Ombudsman post and set Nov. 14 as the deadline for the public to submit written complaints and comments against the candidates.

The candidates are Crispin Bravo, Douglas Cagas, Orlando Casimiro, Arturo De Castro, Gualberto De Llana, Victor Fernandez, Remedios Salazar Fernando, Nicodemo Ferrer, and Margarito Gervacio. Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez, Christopher Lock, Diosdado Peralta, Arno Sanidad and Dennis Villa-Ignacio.