Ombudsman exec optimistic of victory vs corrupt gov't workers
The government's local battle against corrupt and abusive Ilonggo officials and government workers got a passing grade from a top anti-graft official.
In a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the 'victory number,' Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol gave efforts in Iloilo office a high of "seven."
"There is light at the end of the tunnel... mananalo tayo (we will be victorious)," Apostol said in a The News Today (TNT) interview.
With two years of Ombudsman presence in Iloilo serving Western Visayas concerns, Deputy Ombudsman Apostol was all praises to the Ombudsman force here. Credit as well, he added, to private partners particularly the media.
Apostol took note of media vigilance and community support. These, he stressed, has thus far contributed to the success of anti-corruption campaign of the Ombudsman.
"I want marked improvement in our public information campaign, marked improvement in our graft investigations and marked improvement in the over-all efforts to rid our country of graft and corruption... it can happen to us just as it happened in other countries like New Zealand," Deputy Ombudsman Apostol ended.
The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas Regional Office 6 marks its second year anniversary.
The two-day celebration began yesterday with a mass by His Excellency, Most Reverend Angel Lagdameo, D.D.
In attendance were representatives from Ombudsman Cebu and officials from various local and national government agencies.
The first-day also saw the signing of Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) with the Ombudsman's private partners from the religious sector and non-governmental organizations.
Today will see the Ombudsman caravan of government services and medical mission in a relief-giving operation in Barangay Cau-ayan, Pototan, Iloilo.