Aiko Abelardo: Astig nga bahista

To boost the drive against graft and corruption, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday batted for an increase in the budget of the Office of the Ombudsman.

At the launch of the Office of the Ombudsman’s weekly radio program “Magsumbong sa Ombudsman (Tell the Ombudsman),” Gutierrez lamented the lack of action on their appeal for additional funds.

She also said Congress approved only a P974 million budget for the Office of the Ombudsman.

She said the additional funding will be used to hire more graft investigators and construct the Ombudsman’s office in Davao City, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in Quezon City and the proposed Ombudsman Academy.

The Ombudsman Academy is envisioned as an anti-corruption institute where government officials and employees will be educated about the rules, guidelines and values of public service. It will serve as part of the corruption prevention aspect of the anti-graft campaign.

Underscoring the need for a budget hike, Gutierrez urged the public to lobby with their legislators for additional funding for the Office of the Ombudsman to enable its officers to do their jobs better.

She said the campaign against corruption is everyone’s task  ­ including people in the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government.

“If we cannot get the support of those from the legislative and judicial branches, our efforts will be futile,” she said.

She also asked her fellow public servants to always put the nation’s interests before their own and to love the country truly because it is the “one and only country that we have.”

“Magsumbong sa Ombudsman” airs on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. over government station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan 738kHz and its provincial stations nationwide.

The radio program, hosted by veteran broadcaster Tony Salao, features interviews with Ombudsman officials, weekly news updates, and an open-line segment where phone calls and text messages from the listeners are entertained.

Listeners may send in their comments via text hotlines 2311 for Globe subscribers and 350 for Smart/Talk n’ Text subscribers, using the format RADYO_BAYAN_ NAME_MESSAGE. 

They may also phone in their questions and comments to the following dzRB hotlines: 924-2610 to 20, 929-0437 and 929-0441. – Sandy Araneta