Ombudsman crafts blueprint vs corruption

MANILA, Philippines — In time for the celebration of International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) yesterday, the Office of the Ombudsman is currently crafting a multi-sectoral, multi-year blueprint on fighting corruption in the government.

In a speech during the IACD celebration, Deputy Ombudsman Anderson Lo said the office has started conducting consultation workshops in connection with crafting of the blueprint.

“The Office is aware that it must remain capable, if not dynamic, to lead the enforcement of public accountability against graft and corruption to assuage public trust. As a way forward, the Office conducted major stakeholder consultation workshops on anti-corruption innovations in 2022 to solicit inputs in crafting a multi-year blueprint,” Lo said.

“The key components of the blueprint can be categorized into three interlocking strategic innovation areas, namely, digitalization, comprehensive institutional capacity building and strategic collaboration,” he added.

The ombudsman said the crafting of the blueprint is part of its annual anti-corruption initiative dubbed “Sikhay Laban sa Korapsyon” or SiLak.

“The SiLaK initiative is the Office of the Ombudsman’s collaborative advocacy platform to facilitate data-driven policy development and strategic innovations in the anti-corruption sector,” the ombudsman said.?The agency said its SiLak initiative for this year is focused on strengthening the capacity of the anti-corruption sector “through strategic innovations and gender mainstreaming.”

The ombudsman elaborated that its SiLak initiative, including the crafting of an anti-corruption blueprint, aims to “strengthen linkages of justice and anti-corruption stakeholders towards an innovative, sustainable, inclusive and transformative roadmap against corruption.”

The ombudsman said the blueprint also aims to develop an “IT enabled systematic knowledge repository and exchange facilities of anti-corruption studies, experience and best practices.”

Furthermore, the ombudsman said the blueprint will usher in “data-driven policy development and management” in terms of promoting integrity in the government service and in fighting corruption.

Lastly, the ombudsman said the blueprint shall “sustain gender mainstreaming in policy-oriented discourse.”

“States, government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, the public and youth alike all have a role to play in uniting the world against corruption,” the ombudsman said.