Thursday, May 08, 2008 4 graft complaints reach Ombud daily
GRAFT and corruption is dragging the Philippines down in terms of economic development, an anti-graft official said.
Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol said the country now lags behind its Asian neighbors when it comes to economic development, mainly because a large amount of government funds goes to corruption.
During yesterday’s Kapihan sa PIA, he cited an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report, which stated that 20 percent of the government’s budget for projects went to corruption. This means that around P250 billion in taxpayers’ money is wasted every year.
In his seven-year term as deputy ombudsman, Apostol wants to “clean up” the government and get rid of corrupt officials.
Taxpayers
Apostol is the one who charged former president Joseph Estrada for plunder while he was still assigned at the National Capital Region. Estrada was convicted but is now free because of a presidential pardon.
He said that up to the last centavo, the government should invest taxpayers’ money on programs and projects that could benefit the people.
“If funds for certain projects come from loans or government borrowings, the more that it should be used religiously so that the concerned office can pay the regular amortization,” Apostol said during the press conference.
He pointed out that the P250 billion that goes to corruption every year would have been enough to address the perennial problem on the lack of roads, bridges, schools and medicines for the poor.
Specialist
Apostol said he knows about government budgeting because he was once a budget specialist of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), specializing in cost budget analysis.
In the Visayas, composed of Eastern, Western and Central Visayas, four graft cases are docketed daily, or an average of 972 to 1,000 cases a year.
There is a disposal of an average of 914 cases every year, with a backlog of 10 to 12 percent.
In 2007, 440 criminal cases were disposed of, 141 cases were recommended for filing in court while 299 cases were dismissed for lack of probable cause. Some of the dismissed cases were considered harassment cases.
Based on their records, Apostol said the highest ranking government official charged with the Ombudsman-Visayas is a congressman, followed by governors and mayors in the local level.
In the National Government Agencies, those charged include regional directors. Officials occupying positions higher than a director are under the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman-Manila, since they usually hold office in Manila.(EOB)
