Ombudsman drive vs govt vehicle mis-use nets over 100 violators
They were warned. And caught redhanded. Literally and figuratively speaking too. Or at least 110 of them – government officials and workers – apprehended in the first few days of simultaneous operation of “O-Plan Red Plate.”
The mission? Put an end to mis-use of government “red-plated” vehicles here throughout Western Visayas. The targets? Government executives with said government-issued cars. The agents? Men, women and unnamed tipsters out there of the Ombudsman’s Inter-Agency Task Force.
O-Plan Red Plate was launched by the government’s anti-graft body with linkages made to the Commission on Audit (COA), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) among others.
The launching here saw full support of top Ombudsman officials with Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol rallying fellow government executives to heed the call.
“Strictly for official use only,” came the message of Apostol on the matter of government vehicle use. This, Apostol reminded, is not only the right thing to do but will straighten up wanton use of government vehicles leading to millions in waste of government funds.
With massive media support and coordination from member inter-government agencies, the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas came back from the Lenten break with significant results.
The News Today (TNT) in a follow-up gathered that on the first official “O-Plan” regionwide operation alone, all Western Visayas provinces had respective violators apprehended. The Negros Occidental team topped with 30 apprehensions followed by Capiz with 19.
Same drive – all in a day’s work too – netted 16 in Aklan, 15 in Iloilo Province, 10 in Guimaras and 7 in the Province of Antique. Iloilo City, the region’s administrative center recorded 13 apprehensions.
With the Lenten Break over, the Ombudsman here expects the record to increase particularly since reports from the field will be consolidated and validated.
Yet positive results came back not only from the apprehensions made.
The Office of the Ombudman in the Visayas in an update told TNT that extensive campaign generated calls from heads of various government agencies here. Queries after queries were made on the proper use of “trip tickets” while others expressed gratitude for the aggressive “O-Plan Red Plate” operation.
“A laudable project,” similar sentiments summed up the reactions from supportive government officials and workers.
As such, the campaign continues.
“Kindly inform the public to text to this hotline number – 0917-889-8662 - any violation by texting us the plate number, color and type of vehicle, day and time seen and place where spotted,” Ombudsman’s Evangeline Nuñal said. Nuñal, Associate Graft Investigator IV led the Capiz Team. “We are very happy with the early results. We are grateful to the collective efforts of the Inter Agency Task Force O-Plan Red Plate.”