Ombudsman still conducts lifestyle checks despite Martires order

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman is conducting an in-house lifestyle check despite an earlier order against it.

Retired Ombudsman Samuel Martires issued a directive in 2020 to halt lifestyle checks.

During the plenary budget deliberations on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Quezon Rep. Keith Tan, Ombudsman budget sponsor, affirmed the conduct of the move.

“According to the Office of the Ombudsman, they still assess the conduct of lifestyle checks if there’s an anonymous tip, they validate if there’s a lead but as much as possible, they don't want a fishing expedition to happen,” Tan said.

“Some of them file anonymous tips but they have no lead, so they don’t have anything to base on to conduct the lifestyle check,” he added.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said she is “pleased” that lifestyle checks are still ongoing.

“He (Martires) considers the lifestyle checks as something illogical and I don’t also understand that explanation,” de Lima said.

She told the Ombudsman to expect more cases to be filed amid the flood control scandal.

‘Discreet’ probes

Meanwhile, Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio asked how the Ombudsman was unable to get ahead of the investigation on allegations of irregular infrastructure deals despite billions of anti-corruption and confidential funds over the past years.

Citing previous budgets, Tinio said the Ombudsman had P10.4 billion for anti-corruption investigation and enforcement programs from 2018 to 2025 and P245.7 million for confidential funds from 2016 to 2025.

For 2026, the Ombudsman’s proposed funds for anti-corruption investigation and enforcement programs totaled P1.5 billion. Its confidential fund is P51.4 million.

“Ang tanong po ng mga kababayan natin sa harap ng napakatindi at napakalaganap at walang kapantay na lebel ng korapsyon na nasasaksihan natin sa flood control... Ang isang tanong lang po ng taumbayan, ‘Anong nangyari? Anong ginawa ng Ombudsman?’” Tinio inquired.

[Translation: The question of our fellow Filipinos amid the severe, widespread, and unprecedented level of corruption in flood control projects, “What happened? What did the Ombudsman do?”]

Tan said the Ombudsman has been launching “discreet” fact-finding investigations.

“Ang gusto po ng Ombudsman para po hindi po ma-preempt ‘yung kanilang investigation, discreet po talaga ang kanilang pag-imbestiga para po hindi po ma-prejudge agad,” the Quezon representative said.

[Translation: The Ombudsman is for a discreet investigation to avoid preemption and prejudgement.]

Echoing the Office of the Ombudsman, Tan also said that nine panels – three each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao – were established to look into the supposed anomalous infrastructure projects.

The Independent Commission for Infrastructure and congressional inquiries have been investigating alleged corruption in infrastructure projects wherein a number of lawmakers were tagged.