OFFICIALS of the Ombudsman-Visayas and a businessman who exposed the overpriced purchase of the lampposts in Cebu were elated over the passage of House Bill 5717 or the Whistleblower Protection and Rewards Act.
Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said the bill if signed into law will encourage more people to report to them acts of graft and corruption in the government.
“I favor that bill. If people won’t be protected they will not report anomalies to us. That is very good news. We really need to empower the people so that they too, will participate in government and societal affairs,” he said.
He said their office will be ready to provide protection to whistleblowers in Central Visayas.
“We need the public in this fight against corruption. They know what is going on outside, compared to us who are confined in our offices,” Apostol said.
Under the bill, whistleblowers will now be placed under a special program under the Office of the Ombudsman that will ensure them protection, security, and benefits.
Asst. Regional Prosecutor Llena Ipong-Avila, who heads the Witness Protection Program (WPP)of the Department of Justice (DOJ), said the bill will strengthen the country’s justice system.
“I think we’re expecting more clients in the future with the approval of that bill,” she said.
Avila said the program can protect whistleblowers like Bernard Liu, who was murdered for testifying in a 2001 congressional hearing on a drug syndicate.
Crisologo Saavedra, who spearheaded the expose on the overpriced lamppost purchases and the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center, said this would encourage Cebuanos to be pro-active in the war against corruption. /by Correspondent Patricia Andrea Pateña