Ombudsman opens Mindanao public assistance center

MANILA, Philippines - To sustain the campaign against graft and corruption in government in Southern Philippines, the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao announced the setting up of a new public assistance center in Davao City.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, newly-appointed Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Rodolfo Elman and Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera opened the work station last week.

Located at the ground floor of the H & C building on Alvarez street in the Sta. Ana district, the center is “dedicated to ensure the fulfillment of its mandate as protector of the people.”

As public assistance is one of the institution’s key functions, the Office of the Ombudsman said the new office is envisioned to accommodate the growing number of requests for assistance coming from the general public.

Over the past years, Office of the Ombudsman had acted upon and facilitated public assistance in more than 30,000 requests.

Official data released by the Office of the Ombudsman recently showed that local government units (LGUs) topped the list of government agencies with the most number of cases filed against one of their officers or employees in 2013.

The Office of the Ombudsman’s Finance and Management Information Office said a total of 2,014 cases were filed against local government officials last year.

Law enforcement agencies such as the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines placed second and third, respectively, in the 2013 list.