Ombudsman appeals to Congress to restore nearly P1B budget cut

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday appealed to Congress to return over P975 million in operational funds slashed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from its proposed 2025 expenditure program, saying it needed the money to run after corrupt officials.

“We need [those funds] very badly,” Ombudsman Samuel Martires said during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on his agency’s proposed P5.8-billion outlay.

The amount was reduced by nearly P2.8 billion by the budget department, although slightly higher than its 2024 budget of P5.6 billion.

READ: Ombudsman seeks zero secret funds for next year

Among the items stripped of funding by the DBM was hiring 62 new lawyers, which would cost the government P558 million, as well as the construction of satellite offices, which would cost another P400 million, Martires said.

Replying to questions from Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, the country’s chief graft buster said his office would need the help of lawmakers to bankroll the Ombudsman’s programs intended to improve its batting average in prosecuting crooked or misbehaving public officers.

Asked how critical the proposed allotment was to the office’s operations, Martires told Estrada: “The hiring of additional lawyers and the computerization of the office will be greatly affected by the reduction [of our proposed budget].”

33 percent lower

“We’re hiring additional lawyers for the sectoral offices to speed up the investigation of (graft and corruption) cases,” he added.

Estrada, who was recently acquitted of graft charges in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel funds, took up the cudgels for the Ombudsman, underscoring the agency’s crucial role in stemming corruption in the bureaucracy.

He pointed out that the DBM-approved budget was almost 33 percent lower than the Ombudsman’s original proposal.

“The agency’s pursuit of its vision to realize public accountability… needs to continue… To be able to achieve this, the [Ombudsman] must be duly supported by an efficient and equitable budget,” Estrada said.

“I have no more cases pending with you, right?” the senator said in jest.

Martires said he would respect the lawmakers’ decision regarding the agency’s budget request.

“If Congress cannot find any money to increase the [budget] given by DBM, what can we do, your honor? But we are asking for an increase if it is possible,” he said, adding:

“If there are other more important projects of the government that you need to fund, then we’re willing to give way to them.”

Content with P1M

Sen. Grace Poe, who presided over the budget hearing, quizzed Martires about the antigraft agency’s request for confidential funds, initially pegged at P51.4 million.

“If there are agencies that need confidential funds, I think that the Ombudsman would be one of those that would need it,” Poe noted.

In response, Martires said his office would be content with its current P1-million allotment for confidential expenses.

Besides Poe and Estrada, Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Loren Legarda voiced support for the proposal to raise the Ombudsman’s budget during plenary deliberations.