A memorandum of agreement was signed by three government agencies to deploy state prosecutors and auditors as deputized ombudsmen to graft-prone government agencies.

Based on the MOA inked by the Department of Justice, Commission on Audit, and Office of the Ombudsman, these deputized ombudsmen will: 1. Bring to host government agencies the Ombudsman’s front-line services, by acting on complaints and reports against officials and employees of the said agencies; 2. Serve as watchdogs and implementers of corruption prevention programs and; 3. Monitor compliance with existing anti-graft laws and regulations.

“The MOA synergizes the investigatory powers of the OMB, DOJ and COA in the implementation of anti-corruption measures, thus aiding the OMB and the COA in carrying out their respective mandates while also serving as a mechanism for the DOJ to attain the objectives of the Task Force Against Corruption, ” the DOJ said in a statement.

“The implementation of the OMB-COA-DOJ memorandum of agreement on the deployment of prosecutors and auditors as deputy ombudsmen in various agencies is targeted to start in september. The COA annual audit reports will indeed provide a good starting point,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra previously said.

Recently, COA released its hugely-controversial 2020 annual audit report on irregularities in government agencies.

Among other government agencies, the CoA had flagged the Department of Health for noncompliance with laws in spending the P67.3-billion fund for the country’s fight against Covid-19.

It called out the Health department for questionable procurement, unutilized medical equipment and nonpayment of Covid-19 allowance, among others, for health care workers.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas