The Senate is considering a broader institutional reform of the Office of the Ombudsman aimed at strengthening its independence and giving the anti-graft body greater capacity to enforce its decisions, secure evidence and protect investigators and witnesses.

During a public hearing to discuss Senate Bill 2394 on Monday, the Office of the Ombudsman told senators that while it already has broad investigative authority, its operations remain heavily dependent on the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other agencies for arrests, searches, security and service of orders.

Assistant Ombudsman Eliseo Cruz said the lack of its own enforcement capability can slow down investigations and limit the office’s ability to act quickly on corruption complaints.

“At present, the office is mainly dependent on law enforcement agencies such as the PNP, the NBI, and even the AFP in order to carry out its mandate,” Cruz said.

He said the Ombudsman has encountered cases where coordination requirements delayed entrapment operations, while investigators also faced difficulties securing documents and other evidence before these became unavailable.

The proposed reform would create an Ombudsman Enforcement Service tasked with implementing decisions and directives, providing security to officials, personnel and witnesses and monitoring compliance with Ombudsman orders.

Assistant Ombudsman Luis Bonoan Jr. said the objective is to ensure that Ombudsman rulings do not end with the issuance of an order.

“When implementation is delayed or resisted, Your Honors, the public sees a decision without a consequence,” Bonoan said.

Under the proposal, the service would have 100 positions distributed across the central, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao offices, including enforcement, intelligence and security officers as well as process servers.

The Ombudsman estimated that the service would require about PHP159 million in 2027 for personnel and operating expenses.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said strengthening the Ombudsman is necessary to ensure that lawful orders are carried out, evidence is preserved and witnesses are protected.

He also linked the proposed reforms to the broader fight against corruption, saying public confidence suffers when accountability is delayed or selectively enforced.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, principal author of SB 2394, said Congress should examine how far it can strengthen the Ombudsman’s enforcement authority, including powers related to searches, arrests and possible contempt powers.

The Ombudsman said safeguards would remain in place, including court-issued warrants for searches and arrests, body-worn cameras and an annual report to Congress.

The Senate Finance Committee has also expressed support for additional funding for the proposed enforcement arm, Pangilinan said. (PNA)