Ombudsman Samuel Martires (Screenshot from YouTube live)

The Office of the Ombudsman set itself apart from other agencies in the ongoing House budget hearings by explicitly saying that it won't ask the solons for more money in terms of appropriations for next year. 

Ombudsman Samuel Martires led the Office of the Ombudsman officials who attended their 2024 budget deliberation Monday, Sept. 11 before the House Committee on Appropriations. 

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the Office of the Ombudsman's allocation is worth P5.05 billion. This is P1.67 billion less than its requested budget of P6.7 billion from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). 

During the hearing,  Bulacan 6th district Rep. Salvador Pleyto asked Martires whether or not he thought the NEP amount would suffice for their needs. 

"As the body mandated to uphold the principle that the public office is a public trust and holds offices accountable to the people, I would like to know if the allocated budget for 2024 be enough for the agency to perform its functions?" asked Pleyto. 

"If no, I would like to manifest my full support to the approval of the budget of the Office of the Ombudsman under the able leadership of the good Ombudsman Samuel Martires," added the Bulacan solon. 

"Bagamat yung binigay po samin nung DBM is way below what we were asking, kuntento na po kami doon sa [P5.05 billion] na budget na binigay ng DBM (Although what the DBM gave us is way below what we were asking for, we are content with the budget given by DBM). I don't  want to ask for more," answered Martires. 

"Yun pong diperensya siguro nung hinihiling namin sa binigay ng DBM ay ibigay nalang ho sa mga projects, sa proyekto na kailangan po ng taumbayan (As for the difference between our requested amount and the amount given by DBM, they should just use it to fund projects that the people need)," he said. 

Martires said the Ombudsman will "tighten its belt" regarding it 2024 outlay. 

"Kami po'y pagkakasyahin namin, higpitan po namin ang sinturon namin sa Office of the Ombudsman. Pagkakasiyahin po namin anumang pera ang ibigay niyo sa amin. Huwag lang po ibaba sa previous years." 

(We will use the budget wisely, we will tighten our belts in the Office of the Ombudsman. Whatever money we will get, we will use wisely. But don't reduce our budget to that of previous years.) 

Another interpellator in the hearing, Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop gave props to Martires for his attitude toward the budget. 

"At the outset I would like to laud the Ombudsman, kasi siya lang ang agency na nagsasabi, he can live with his budget (you're the only one who said that the agency can live with his budget). 

'Wala pa po akong naririnig na head of agency, head of department na nagsasabi (I haven't heard a head of agency or department say that) he will live with the budget given him by the government," Acop said.