Resident ombudsman program
In response to a survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) that showed that many Filipinos believe obtaining service from government offices is difficult without corruption, the OMB announced recently that it is reviving a program that would designate a resident ombudsman (RO) in some government offices to help in the fight against corruption.
The survey validated the long-standing belief by the public that corruption in government is endemic and is part of the DNA of government service, both national and local.
Although the list of so-called “vulnerable agencies” to which ROs would be assigned is still being finalized, the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Department of Public Works and Highways are on top of the list of the program.
As planned, the ROs would work on-site to receive complaints from people who transact with the government offices to which they are assigned and act on them accordingly.
The OMB’s plan is laudable. If somebody has any complaints about the quality of service (or lack of it) in a government office, he or she does not have to go far to file a complaint. The RO would be there to receive it.
Note that a major stumbling block to citizen participation in the fight against corruption in government is the lack of information on who to complain to and how, if a government employee’s palms have to be greased first before he or she will do his or her assigned work.
But as in all expressions of good intentions, there is a whale of a difference between theory and practice.
What may be written in black and white in government procedures are, however, as shown on many occasions in the past, often observed in breach or treated as directional rather than mandatory, especially if it would adversely affect the employee’s ability to earn additional money on the side.
The OMB has yet to spell out clearly the work parameters of the proposed ROs in government offices: Will they play a passive role—meaning, they would be limited to receiving complaints—or will they play an active role in the decision-making process of the office?
Setting aside the ROs’ announced mandate to prevent corruption, its presence would constitute a subtle addition to the bureaucratic processes in government transactions.
Knowing the Filipino psyche, he or she would eventually evolve as an integral part of the office hierarchy whose presence cannot be ignored or underestimated.
A government official who is, for example, about to sign a multimillion peso contract with a private company and who wants to make sure he or she would not be the subject of the complaint by, say, the losing bidder, may opt to get “clearance” first from the RO or ask for his or her comments before signing off on the contract.
While that action is not required by office regulations, that official, out of an abundance of caution and aware of the OMB’s authority to suspend officials under investigation, including the holding of retirement pay of retiring employees, may be obliged to do so either discreetly or formally. No harm in playing safe, so to speak.
The RO may be put, willingly or unwillingly, in a “preaudit” situation, i.e., prior review of transactions to ensure compliance with regulations, (a practice that the Commission of Audit has abolished unless otherwise required by law) and, in the process, add to the red tape.
And there is no assurance either that the RO would refrain from taking on that role or be less uncompromising in the performance of his or her assigned tasks for the right pieces of silver.
If the OMB pushes through with its RO program, some government offices may find themselves hosting two supposed “guardians” of the people’s money, namely, the internal auditor (who is an accountant) and the RO (who would most probably be a lawyer).
Unless their lines of authority and responsibility are clearly defined, they may find themselves in a turf war or ego trip conflict that could adversely affect the operations of their assigned office.
For comments, please send your email to raul.palabrica@inquirer.net.
