MANILA, Philippines - Former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo delivered a lecture recently at an anti-corruption forum organized by the Asian Development Bank/Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (ADB/OECD) in Dili, Timor-Leste.
At the 12th Regional Seminar of the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia-Pacific which addressed the issues of whistle-blower protection and strengthening anti-corruption agencies, Marcelo shared his experience in transforming the Office of the Ombudsman into an effective investigative and prosecutorial anti-corruption agency.
Marcelo said he patterned the Office of Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office after the Operations Department of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption.
He also beefed up the prosecutorial powers of the anti-graft body by recruiting fresh college graduates from top state universities, particularly the University of the Philippines, to be field investigators in order to fill new positions.
Graft investigators also underwent basic and advanced courses on investigation, including financial and forensic accounting, conducted by experts from the US Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the US Homeland Security Department.
Senior investigators were also sent abroad for further intensive investigative studies in the US, Thailand and Switzerland.
Marcelo was invited as a resource person for being an internationally recognized expert on good governance and anti-corruption.
A senior partner of the Cruz Marcelo and Tenefrancia law firm, he was among the delegates from 30 member countries and economies of the Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia-Pacific.
The seminar held July on 24 to 25 was also attended by the Advisory Group, observer countries and organizations, donor countries, international organizations, regional private sector and civil society organizations.