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Ombudsman to tap 'Marites', journalists amid reduced confidential funds

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Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Ombudsman Samuel Martires gets sworn into office, Aug. 6, 2018. George Calvelo, ABS CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/09/11/20180806-nancy-binay-senate-gc-5460.jpg"/><figcaption>Ombudsman Samuel Martires gets sworn into office, Aug. 6, 2018.<em> George Calvelo, ABS CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Tuesday said information from “Marites” or from rumor mills and sometimes from the media would compensate for the reduced confidential funds of his office.<br/> <br/>Speaking to reporters after the Senate plenary deemed submitted the proposed P5.34 billion 2024 budget of the Office of the Ombudsman, Martires said information gathered from informal sources and not through the use of confidential funds would still have to be validated.<br/> <br/>“Daanin mo sa ngiti baka matulungan ka ng iba, idaan mo sa pagma-Marites. In fact, to be honest with you, kung minsan nakakapulot ako ng impormasyon dahil sa inyo, and with that, all I have to do is to validate the information I got from the members of press,” Martires said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5sx26ecfvqU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The budget of the Office of the Ombudsman breezed through the Senate plenary without any interpellation from senators.</p><p>Following intense scrutiny of confidential and intelligence funds of civilian agencies, Martires said the confidential funds of the Ombudsman was decreased to P1 million from the Department of Budget and Management’s proposed P51 million confidential funds.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/11/23/ombudsman-asks-congress-to-reduce-his-confidential-fund-to-p1m">Martires asks Senate, House to reduce Ombudsman&#x27;s P51 million confidential fund to P1 million</a></li></ul><p>He said the P1 million confidential funds of his office would be spent for case investigations, among others.</p><p>“As usual we will use that for the investigation of case, marami tayong pinaggagamitan ng ano, security of some of our offices,” Martires said.</p><p>Martires added that the Office of the Ombudsman would investigate government offices allegedly providing legitimate identification cards to the foreign workers of some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations hubs in Metro Manila which authorities recently raided. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/11/23/govt-fixers-may-be-behind-foreign-pogo-workers-ph-ids-official">Gov&#x27;t &#x27;fixers&#x27; may be behind foreign POGO workers&#x27; PH IDs: official</a></li></ul><p>“We will see kasi itong issue sa passports, BIR, genuine. We still have to investigate this, sino ang mga involved na tao,” Martires said.</p>

Ombudsman Samuel Martires said the P1 million confidential funds of his office would be spent for case investigations, among others.

Ombudsman to tap 'Marites', journalists amid reduced confidential funds

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Ombudsman to tap 'Marites', journalists amid reduced confidential funds

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 14, 2023 03:22 PM PHT

|

Updated Nov 14, 2023 04:52 PM PHT

Read More:

Ombudsman

Samuel Martires

Office of the Ombudsman

confidential funds

marites

investigation

ANC

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