Ombudsman to hire more lawyers

MANILA, Philippines - Lawyers are being invited to join the Office of the Ombudsman as prosecutors to handle cases before the Sandiganbayan.

Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro said he has ordered the hiring of more prosecutors for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

“Presently, the OSP has a complement of 171 personnel, 71 of whom are lawyers,” he said.

However, only 59 prosecutors are actually handling cases in the Sandiganbayan.

“As acting ombudsman, I understand the imperative need to beef up the number of prosecutors in order to strengthen the performance of the office,” he said.

Casimiro said increasing the number of OSP lawyers will also allow prosecutors to have a manageable workload of cases, thus increasing efficiency.

“The increase in the number will likewise have a positive impact on the performance of the office insofar as conviction rates are concerned,” he said.

Having been with the Office of the Ombudsman for 20 years, Casimiro said he is aware of the problems besetting the anti-graft agency, including the need to beef up the number of its legal team.

Casimiro started his career in government service in 1991 when he was named Graft Investigation Officer II.

He became acting ombudsman following the resignation of Merceditas Gutierrez almost two months ago.

As of June 15, records show that he has already disposed of 4,500 pending cases as evidenced by how he has been ordering the filing of graft and other cases at the Sandiganbayan almost on a daily basis since he assumed the post.

Casimiro, who is among those hoping to be named to replace Gutierrez, recently ordered the creation of a quick-response team at the Office of the Ombudsman

The objective of the so-called Team Aksyon Agad is “to provide quick response to the request for delivery of basic government services and prompt action on projects or front-line services of the government.”

It is comprised of Director Marifi Chua as chairman; Director Wilbert Candelaria as co-chairman and several personnel of the Office of the Ombudsman.