Photo courtesy Rappler
AFTER only 12 minutes of hearing, the House Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep. Elizaldy Co (Party-list, AKO BICOL) swiftly terminated the hearing on Thursday of the proposed P4.72 billion budget of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2023 with respect to the agency’s fiscal autonomy under the 1987 Constitution.
“We respect that autonomy of the Ombudsman. And therefore, on the part of the Minority, and if the Majority would allow, I move to terminate the budget briefing of the Office of the Ombudsman,” Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said.
Rep. Bienvenido Abante (6th District, Manila), sponsor of the Office of the Ombudsman’s budget, seconded the motion. In his presentation, Assistant Ombudsman Weomark Ryan Layson said that the 4.781-billion recommended budget level by the Department of Budget and Management for the Office of the Ombudsman for fiscal year 2023 is at the same level with that of the current year in conformity with the pronouncement of the Constitution and its enabling law, RA 6770 on fiscal autonomy, that the appropriations of the Office of the Ombudsman may not be reduced below the amount appropriated from the previous years.
Layson said this represents 0.0090 percent of the national expenditure program of P5.268-trillion. Abante said of the P4.781-billion budget proposal, P3.15-billion would go to General Administration and Support; P51 million to Support to Operations; and P1.51-billion to Operations. Of the P1.51-billion for Operations, P758.5 million would fund the Anti-Corruption Investigation Program; P574.9 million the Anti-Corruption Enforcement Program; P96.9 million the Corruption Prevention Program; and P83.3 million for the Public Assistance Program. Ombudsman Samuel Martires joined the briefing via Zoom. Meanwhile, Co said the Office of the Ombudsman is tasked with ensuring accountability in the government by investigating complaints and cases against its officials. Co said the late President Fidel Ramos once said “For every rotten egg in the basket of government, there are many more that are honest, competent, and dedicated.”
Co added that, “Thanks to the Office of the Ombudsman, the honest, competent and dedicated in the government are able to perform their duties without fear of retribution, harassment and persecution.”
