EDITORIAL - What is Martires trying to do?

It seems Ombudsman Samuel Martires is really hell-bent on accomplishing something that goes against public interest. Just a few days after making the Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net worth of politicians inaccessible to the public without their consent, he now said he has stopped conducting lifestyle checks on public officials.

“Ngayong ako’y nag-assume bilang Ombudsman, pinatigil ko na muna ‘yung lifestyle check dahil matagal na akong may question, may duda ako sa provision ng batas tungkol sa lifestyle checks,” he said.

In defending his position, he also said there are parts of Republic Act 6713, which establishes the code of conduct and ethical standards for government employees and officials, that he calls “vague and illogical”.

In particular, he points out that provision that officials must live simply and within their means.

There is no doubt he has a point. What one may consider extravagant others may find as simple, and vice-versa, depending on many factors like background, experience, financial status, one’s position in society, among others. So who can really say if someone is living extravagantly compared to other people in different rungs of society?

However, Martires must not forget the function of the office he serves.

In case he has forgotten, the office of the Ombudsman, under the Ombudsman Act of 1989, "is principally tasked to investigate on its own or upon complaint by any person, in any form or manner, any act or omission of any public officer or employee, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations, which appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient."

We are not saying an extravagant lifestyle, one usually revealed by a lifestyle check, is not an immediate indicator that an official is engaging in corruption. But a lifestyle check, like the SALN, is another tool that can help in rooting out and even proving discrepancies and anomalies when it comes to dealings made with taxpayers’ money.

And here is the top official of the Office of the Ombudsman, the office tasked to investigate public official and employees, disabling another weapon in its arsenal against graft and corruption.

As we have pointed out in a previous editorial, Martires seems to be more interested in protecting public officials rather than serving public interest --or more specifically, the particular purpose of his office.