NOEL BAGUIO
Online news contributor
TAGUM CITY: DEPUTY Ombudsman for Mindanao Humphey Monteroso warned local officials against committing graft and corruption or else they face the consequences.
True to its mandate of prosecuting erring government officials, as of March 31, this year, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) hasapproved resolutions for the dismissal of 111 public officials and employees, preventivesuspension of 47 and suspension of 109 officials and employees, including the filingof a total of 67 cases against high ranking government officials before the Sandigang Bayan.
Deputy OMB Monteroso also revealed that the Office ofthe Ombudsman conviction rate at the Sandigang Bayan also rose 67% for theperiod from January to March, 2007. While in the Mindanao,as of December, 2006 a total of 68% conviction rate was reported in all caseshandled by the OMB-Mindanao.
“Do not sign documents simplybecause they were presented to you,” Monteroso told more than a hundredelective and appointive local officials of the provinceof Davao delNorte during the Ombudsman Conference on Integrity Development and PublicAccountability which was held recently at the Davao Convention and Trade Center.
The deputy ombudsman revealed that because of lack ofknowledge, ignorance or pure laxity, some local officials are compelled by thepressures of the members of their family, peers and the opportunist people whomthey trusted so much.
He urged local officials to tow the line and acquaintthemselves with auditing rules so that they cannot be deceived by the devious peoplesurrounding them.
“You might be deceived by the people who pretend thatthey are your friends but in reality they will just take advantage of yourlaxity,” Monteroso warned, adding that it is easy for the ombudsman prosecutorsand investigators, COA auditors and the members of the NBI and other lawenforcement agencies to easily detect if there is something fishy in any governmenttransaction.
He cautioned officials who commit graftand corruption do not only bear the stigma of their indictment but it is theirfamily who most likely suffer the brunt of the humiliating process. Even if acertain public official is acquitted later on, in the minds of the people hisname was already maligned in the court of public opinion.
“In ourcountry (sic), justice takes so longso it is not only the accused who will suffer much but also their family,” he lamented.
Davao del Norte Gov.Rodolfo Del Rosario called the said forum to help local officials learn the basic insightsinvolving graft laws, especially the anti-graft and corruption act, theprovisions of the revised penal code and the new procurement act, among other importantstatutes and provisions that are necessary in pursuing reforms in governance,which is an integral part of the governor’s executive agenda.
“It is important that we educate ourlocal officials on the hazard of committing graft and corruption. This is in linewith my administration’s thrust of greatly minimizing, if not totallyeliminating this vicious social ill in line with our thrust of espousing goodgovernance,” the Del Rosario said.
Towards this end, the governor vowed total transparencyin all the transactions in the provinceof Davao del Norte.
Also during the said forum, Ehem! Team Leader Father Albert Alejo, pricked the conscience ofthe local officials with his no-nonsense lecture on the topic “spirituality ingovernance”.
Ehem! is a joint anti-corruption project of thePhilippine Province of the Society of Jesus and the Office of the Ombudsmanthat focuses not so much on prosecution but on values transformation.
Lawyer Zulueka Lopez of the OMB-Mindanao further briefedthe participants on the mandate, functions and responsibilities of the Officeof the Ombudsman.
She explained that the Office of theombudsman has the “power, function and duty to act promptly on complaints filedin any form or manner against public officials and to investigate any act oromission of any public official when such act or omission appears to beillegal, unjust, improper or inefficient.”