House to increase ombudsman’s intel fund

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives appropriations committee will most likely increase the intelligence fund of the Office of the Ombudsman for next year.

Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, committee chairman, told reporters yesterday that he is inclined to adopt the suggestion of his colleagues to allot up to P10 million for intelligence information gathering and case buildup by the ombudsman’s office.

“We will look for the fund sources for the additional P7 million,” he said.

The ombudsman has P3 million for intelligence gathering for this year.

During Tuesday’s hearing on the proposed P1.8-billion 2016 budget for the ombudsman’s office, Reps. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City and Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar proposed that the ombudsman’s intelligence fund be increased to P10 million.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales told the appropriations committee that she uses her P3-million outlay to field investigators to the provinces to verify complaints and gather evidence against public officers accused of criminal wrongdoing.

In the pork barrel scam cases, she said her probers have to trace supposed beneficiaries and check on projects allegedly undertaken by senators and congressmen and their project implementers, which are non-government organizations.

“This process takes time and entails a lot of expenses. We are using our funds prudently. We still have a balance out of the P3-million intelligence fund for this year,” she said.

She added that the proposed increased level of P10 million would be half of her predecessors’ intelligence outlay.

The ombudsman’s office would also be allowed to use its income from clearances.

On questioning by Evardone, Morales said their internally generated income amounts to about P4 million a year, which comes from the issuance of clearances to government personnel.

She lamented that her office, despite supposedly enjoying fiscal autonomy, could not use the P4 million and is required by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to turn it over to the national treasury.