Five government agencies have been identified as “graft-prone or with high corruption risk” in the inter-agency agreement that would field prosecutors and state auditors as resident Ombudsmen.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB), the Commission on Audit (COA), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) states:

“This Agreement shall govern the deployment of Resident Ombudsmen in the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), BOC (Bureau of Customs), BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), LRA (Land Registration Authority), PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) and other agencies that may be identified later on as graft-prone or with high corruption risk.”

These “graft-prone” agencies have been labeled in the agreement as “partner offices.”

Under the MOA, deputized resident Ombudsmen will “bring to host government agencies the Ombudsman’s front-line services, by acting on complaints and reports against officials and employees of the said agencies; serve as watchdogs and implementors of corruption prevention programs; and monitor compliance with existing anti-graft laws and regulations.”

The MOA was signed by Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra and COA Chairperson Michel G. Aguinaldo.

The MOA also stated:

“This Agreement synergizes the investigatory powers of the Ombudsman, DOJ, and COA in the implementation of corruption prevention measures and to act on complaints and reports of corrupt activities, thus aiding the Ombudsman and COA to carry out their respective mandates while also serving as supplemental tool for the DOJ to attain the purposes of the Task Force Against Corruption which it is spearheading.

“This Agreement shall commence at the time of its signing without prejudice to the time of formal coordination of the Parties or their respective representatives with Partner Offices identified under this Agreement, regarding the operation, support and provision of the Resident Ombudsmen to be installed in their offices.”

The MOA explained that the deputation of resident ombudsman was made as “the OMB faces challenges in manpower, while the DOJ and the COA can provide prosecutors and auditors equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge, and with unquestionable integrity who may be installed in the graft-prone offices in almost all locations in the country.”

It noted that the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) was created pursuant to the Oct. 27 memorandum of President Duterte to Guevarra who was “directed to investigate allegations of corruption in the entire government.”

The DOJ was also directed “to invite or direct other bodies and agencies in government to assist, participate, or be part of the Interagency Task Force against Corruption.”

The TFAC has been identified as “a venue for coordinated government actions and aids in the investigation of each member, allows each member-agency to mutually share the evidence gathered in the respective investigations conducted by each office, and ultimately, supports the actions of each office as mandated by law and our Constitution.”

The TFAC is led by the DOJ. The other member agencies are the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the National Prosecution Service (NPS), the DOJ’s Office of Cybercrime (OOC), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).