Ombudsman-Visayas opens regional office in Iloilo
Come August 17, 2006, Ombudsman Merceditas N. Gutierrez will officially inaugurate the opening of the Ombudsman Regional Office (Visayas) in Iloilo City.
The office situated at the Ground Floor of CAP Building, Gen. Luna St., Iloilo City will be initially manned with 14 personnel headed by a Graft Investigation Officer II, who is a lawyer.
The opening of the regional office is one of the thrusts of Ombudsman Gutierrez when she assumed office in December last year. She wants to bring closer the Office of the Ombudsman to the people as effective measure to curb corruption and inefficiency in government service.
The move is a welcome development since people from Region 6 will now have an easy access to the Ombudsman without the need of going to Cebu City where the sectoral office for the Visayas is located.
The regional office in Iloilo shall render Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention functions which are considered the most dynamic functions of the Ombudsman aside from the aggressive investigation and prosecution of cases. These functions include the building up of cases under fact-finding investigation, community linkages insofar as the implementation of various anti-corruption programs is concerned, as well as rendering of public assistance.
The Office of the Ombudsman is created pursuant to Republic Act 6770 otherwise known as the Ombudsman Act of 1989 which serves as the protector of the people. As such the office is clothed with peculiar function of acting promptly in investigating complaints against public officials and employees in any manner or form. The Ombudsman is also mandated by law to investigate any act or omission committed by public officials and employees which appear to be illegal, immoral, improper, unjust or inefficient.
(PIA)