The Office of the Ombudsman on Saturday took credit for the minor improvement in the country’s global corruption rating, saying that the improved ranking “mirrors the Ombudsman’s success in its anti-corruption efforts." Assistant Ombudsman Evelyn Baliton said in a statement Saturday that the “marked increase" in conviction rates handled by the Office of the Ombudsman is one of the factors why the country improved its ranking in Transparency International (TI)’s global corruption index. Baliton said that the agency hit its highest conviction rate of 73.42 percent two years ago, which was supposedly a big factor in TI’s assessment of the country’s anti-corruption efforts. The Philippines ranked 134th out of 178 countries in TI’s Corruption Perception Index for this year, with a score of 2.4. The ranking slightly improved from the country’s previous rank of 139th among 180 countries last year, although the Philippines also received the same score of 2.4 in 2009. (See: RP scores minor 'improvement' in corruption index) Baliton likewise said that the “improved" ranking “inspired" the country’s lead anti-corruption agency “to exert more effort in fighting corruption." The Office of the Ombudsman is currently hiring more qualified investigators in the agency to step up its campaign against corruption, she added. Baliton also said that Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez plans to open new regional offices in the country to “move the office closer to the people." At present, three regional offices are already operational: OMB-Luzon located in Calamba, Laguna; OMB-Visayas in Iloilo; and OMB-Mindanao located in Cagayan de Oro City. Baliton said another OMB-Luzon regional office is set to open in Pangasinan next year.
The office's location in Pangasinan is expected to enable it to cover the three regions of Northern Luzon—Ilocos region or Region I, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and Cagayan Valley or Region II—as well as nearby provinces in Central Luzon or Region III.
Ombudsman Gutierrez is currently facing two impeachment complaints for her alleged inaction on graft cases involving former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice has temporarily stopped impeachment proceeding against Gutierrez after the Supreme Court issued an order suspending moves to oust the Ombudsman. (See: House to abide by SC order on Ombudsman impeachment)—JV,
