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The
column today addresses recent newspaper reports decrying
the lowered conviction rate of the Ombudsman’s Office
and the alleged widespread demoralization of the
Ombudsman staff.
So let
me say the following for the record.
Our
lowered conviction rate this year relates to
informations filed before my time, some of which were
approved by the special prosecutor himself, who has been
on TV and radio saying bad things about me. Since I
assumed office, we have tried to file only solid
informations with strong evidence to back them up. Since
I assumed office also, the conviction rate in the
overall had jumped from 19 percent (2006) to 55 percent
(2007), as noted by our development partner, The
Millennium Challenge Corp. And to think, we only
targeted a conviction rate of 40 percent!
In
direct rebuttal to the accusations of the special
prosecutor that there is widespread demoralization in my
office, the officers and staff of the office are backing
me up. They put up a press con a couple of days ago out
of their own free will. There, they expressed support
for me and decried the unfounded accusations against me.
Officers and staff of the different regional offices of
the Ombudsman have also sent signed manifestos
expressing all-out support for me. I have not defended
myself because I have done nothing wrong.
The
special prosecutor says I want him removed because the
sitting President needs a friendly special prosecutor
when she bows out of office in 2010. He does the public
a great disservice because he tries to picture me as
partisan, and this renders my effort to fight
corruption, regardless of personalities, more difficult.
It is
true that I have clipped the powers of certain officers
in my office. But this is dictated by good management
practice. As in every office trying to do a good job,
the distribution of powers within the Ombudsman is now
and then re-aligned. This is to achieve efficiency
within our limitations and to avert suspicions that in
the Ombudsman itself, there might be corruption that may
be brought, among other things, by officials becoming
too complacent with their powers.
To make
the Ombudsman more effective, there is a need for the
government to increase our budget. The increase will
enable us, among other things, to hire more lawyers and
train them in the proper skills and values needed to do
the difficult work of the office.
I
temporarily stopped the practice of giving recognition
awards to deserving employees because the system was
exposed to suffer from certain built-in weaknesses that
had caused internal disagreements. In the last
anniversary celebration of the office, a great majority
of the officers and staff recommended that the practice
be reviewed.
Yes, I
have begun giving rewards to our personnel who dressed
up the best in Filipiniana attire during our Monday flag
ceremonies. This is in line with the Civil Service
Commission’s attempts to boost nationalism among us
Filipinos.
And yes,
we do have a veggie garden now. It is located at the
back of the main office. It provides a good diversion to
the high-pressure job of the office, and enables our
personnel to take home very fresh produce that is good
for their health. It is also our humble contribution to
the environment, and we are very proud of it.
Despite
the special prosecutor’s attempts to picture the
Ombudsman’s Office as demoralized, it is really business
as usual at our office. And, please, if you happen to
visit us, ask the guard to let you see the garden, whose
green abundance hints of God’s blessings.
I
welcome feedback at ombproper@ombudsman.gov.ph. The
column serves only as a general guide and is not a
prediction of what the Ombudsman will do in actual
cases. The advice of counsel should be sought concerning
actual rights and obligations. |
