Senate Panel Approves Budgets for Commission on Audit, Ombudsman for 2027

THE Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved the Commission on Audit’s (CoA) and the Office of the Ombudsman’s proposed budget for next year. Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva backed the CoA’s proposed P16.04-billion budget, noting that he is open to supporting the agency if it seeks an additional budget to address the challenges they’re facing due to salary standardization resulting in unfilled positions. “I can see a lot of challenges that they are facing and it will also be addressed by exempting them from salary standardization,” Mr. Villanueva said. “I move that we consider the budget of CoA for approval for plenary action.” Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Joseph Victor G. Ejercito approved the motion. Of the P16.04 billion proposed budget, P14.77 billion will be allotted to agency-specific budget, while P1.27 billion will be for retirement and life insurance premium. The agency-specific budget entailed P737.977 million for maintenance and other operating expenses and P14.036 billion for personnel services. The budget for personnel services has a 1.17% increase under the National Expenditure Program in comparison with CoA’s proposal due to increase in authorized plantilla positions and inclusion of funding for increase in salary standardization. During the budget briefing on Thursday, Assistant Commissioner Lorna D. Cabochan raised that among the CoA’s problems include thousands in unfilled positions in the agency. Ms. Cabochan CoA hired 2,512 employees over the past five years but recorded 2,193 separations in the same period. She attributed the vacant positions to the agency’s adherence to the salary standardization law, noting that their entry level position for a certified public accountant (CPA) stands at salary grade 13 equivalent to P36,000 monthly. “And there is the risk of media exposure as an auditor, you hear a lot of news about auditors,” she added. “So maybe that is somewhat unenticing for newly licensed CPAs to join our workforce.” Also on Thursday, the panel approved the proposed P7.232-billion budget of the Office of the Ombudsman, including P51.468 million in confidential funds. Mr. Ejercito said the panel may increase the confidential fund allocation during plenary deliberations but has not committed to restoring the P148 million originally sought by the Ombudsman. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” C. Remulla said the agency needed confidential funds to strengthen its information-gathering and investigative work. “I think we’re more aggressive in pursuing investigations and purchasing information and other things needed that require confidential funds to be utilized,” Mr. Remulla said. Mr. Ejercito said the panel could only “add a little” to the P51.468 million recommended by the Department of Budget and Management, rather than fully restore the Ombudsman’s request. “We cannot promise that the P148 million being requested by the Ombudsman will be fully restored. But we might add a little, especially after hearing what programs and investigations could be affected,” he said. He said confidential funds should remain limited to law enforcement, national security and investigative agencies, with the Ombudsman falling under the latter. “Confidential funds do not mean that they are unaccountable. They still have to be properly justified and used for legitimate investigative purposes,” he said. The Ombudsman had initially sought P12.797 billion for 2027, nearly twice the committee-approved amount. The panel also supported the proposed Ombudsman Marshal Service, which would receive P168 million for 100 new positions tasked with serving cyber warrants, securing evidence, enforcing orders and protecting investigators. The committee’s approval allows the proposed budget to proceed to plenary deliberations. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel and Mark Joseph M. Sanchez