Sunday, October 12, 2008 Ombud loses 'eyes and ears' at DENR 7
THE relief of Resident Ombudsman Noel Empleo has caught the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas by surprise, as he was its “eyes and ears” at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7.
Newly-appointed Ombudsman Director Carla Narvios-Tanco said the anti-graft office conducts a discreet background examination before designating people to certain posts.
Empleo passed that investigation. Tanco vouched that there is no pending investigation on Empleo before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
The Office of the Ombudsman in Manila can conduct its own probe, however, and a complaint against Empleo might have been lodged before the Field Investigation Office, which is based there.
In a separate interview, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 Executive Officer Ernesto Macabare said they do not have any investigation against Empleo.
But similar to what Tanco said, he explained that the complaint could have also been filed with the NBI-Manila’s anti-graft unit.
Tanco said that whatever the circumstances of Empleo’s relief, resident ombudsmen detailed in the different government agencies in Cebu remain as assets in the fight against graft and corruption.
“I still believe that there are a lot of honest people in the government who are willing to help us,” she said, adding that corrupt officials are “more of an exception to the rule.”
Resident ombudsmen are public employees assigned to a particular government agency.
The anti-graft office recruits them, or they sometimes apply, to report any anomalies they encounter in their place of assignment, or to render assistance to people within the agencies they serve.
“We do not have the resources to put our own people in these agencies so we tap those who are already there,” Tanco said.
She, however, clarified that she does not know Empleo.
She said he apparently got designated as resident ombudsman before she was appointed as head of the Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office. Her office oversees the activities of resident ombudsmen. (KNR)
