Senate finance committee head JV Ejercito said on Thursday that it is worth adding ‘a little’ to the P51 million confidential funds for the Office of the Ombudsman, as proposed in the National Expenditure Program for 2027.
Ejercito expressed the sentiment after the panel’s hearing on the Office of the Ombudsman’s budget.
During the proceeding, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla told lawmakers what would be compromised after the Department of Budget and Management slashed his agency’s budget from its requested P147 million to P51 million.
‘If there is any agency that is really worth helping or increasing confidential funds for, I think it is the Office of the Ombudsman,’ Ejercito told the media.
‘Because as I said, we will confine confidential funds to law enforcement, national security and investigative. And, of course, the Ombudsman is included in the end,’ he explained.
Ejercito clarified, however, that the Senate might only be able to add a little more to the P51 million budget for the Ombudsman’s secret funds, and not restore the P147 million funding originally asked by the investigative body.
‘We cannot promise that the P147M requested by the Ombudsman will be restored… But we might add a little,’ the senator said.
In a separate interview, Remulla said that it will help the Ombudsman so much if its entire P147 million proposal will be granted.
Nevertheless, he said the agency will still be prepared for a different outcome.
The P51 million in confidential funds is only part of the P7.2 billion proposed budget of the Office of the Ombudsman for next year.