Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 9) — The Department of Justice (DOJ), the Commission on Audit (COA), and the Office of the Ombudsman have signed an agreement to deploy prosecutors and state auditors as “resident ombudsmen” to graft-prone agencies.
Under the agreement, the Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Registration Authority, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. were tagged as graft-prone offices. Other agencies may be identified later for being high risk for corruption.
In a statement, the DOJ said the resident ombudsmen will act on complaints and reports against erring officials and employees of the agencies, serve as watchdogs and implement anti-corruption programs, and monitor compliance with existing anti-graft laws and regulations.
“The MOA synergizes the investigatory powers of the Ombudsman, DOJ, and COA in the implementation of anti-corruption measures, thus aiding the Ombudsman and the COA in carrying out their respective mandates while also serving as a mechanism for the DOJ to attain the objectives of the Task Force Against Corruption,” the DOJ said.
“The Ombudsman, COA, and DOJ shall jointly enter into agreements with partner agencies regarding the terms of deployment of the resident ombudsmen, which is expected to start rolling this month,” it added.
The designation of a DOJ prosecutor or COA auditor as resident ombudsman will be approved by the Ombudsman first, the agreement read.
President Rodrigo Duterte last year formed the Task Force Against Corruption – headed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra – to look into alleged corruption in the “entire government.”
Duterte has given the task force until June 30, 2022 – the last day of his term – to eradicate corruption in the government.
