Ombudsman resolved 6,677 cases in 2013

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman resolved a total of 6,677 criminal and administrative cases last year.

As of January 2014, out of 16,492 pending cases, 9,815 are still to be resolved.

Figures show some 548 complaints resulted in the filing of criminal cases in various courts.

In the Sandiganbayan alone, 961 cases were filed in 2013, the highest in the last 18 years and double that of 2012.

The anti-graft agency said 790 administrative cases resulted in penalties ranging from fine to dismissal from the service for erring public officers and employees.

Around three percent of the disposed cases were referred to other agencies or for further case buildup. Another 75 and 80 percent of administrative and criminal cases were dismissed on various grounds like lack of jurisdiction, prescription, condonation doctrine, lack of merit or want of probable cause.

The anti-graft agency said 39 percent or 3,186 out of the criminal case workload of 8,193 – including 5,833   carried over from 2012 and 2,360 newly instituted criminal cases for 2013 – have been disposed, leaving a balance of 5,007 carried over to 2014.

A 17 percent increase in the criminal case workload for 2013 has been reported.

The Office of the Ombudsman has managed to trim down the yearend docket for criminal cases by 14 percent from 5,833 in 2012 to 5,007 in 2013.

Out of the total administrative case workload of 8,299 – including 5,883 carried over from 2012 and 2,416 newly instituted administrative cases for 2013 – 42 percent or 3,491 administrative cases have been disposed, thereby leaving a balance of 4,808 carried over to 2014.

Despite a 10 percent increase in the administrative case workload for 2013, the Office of the Ombudsman has managed to decrease the yearend docket for administrative cases by 18 percent from 5,883 in 2012 to 4,808 in 2013.