CONGRESSMEN on Thursday swiftly approved the Office of the Ombudsman’s P4.78-billion budget for next year.
The House of Representatives committee on appropriations approved the 1.5% increase, citing the office’s fiscal autonomy under the Constitution.
Under the budget, P3.05 billion will go to personnel services, P1.43 billion to maintenance and other operating expenses and P230 million to capital outlays.
Party-list Rep. France L. Castro asked the Office of the Ombudsman to clarify its policy on the disclosure of state official’ statement of net worth.
She also asked for a performance report on cases handled by the Ombudsman in the past five years.
Meanwhile, lawmakers at a separate hearing also promptly approved a 9.8% increase in the Civil Service Commission’s 2023 budget to P2.04 billion as a courtesy to its head, Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, who is a former congressman. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo