The Office of the Ombudsman has bared its plans to establish more assistance centers across the country to receive complaints concerning flood control projects even as more government officials appear to be involved in billions worth of corruption.

Jose Balmeo, officer-in-charge for the Overall Deputy Ombudsman of the Philippines, said they will add three Ombudsman Assistance Centers (OACs) each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

These will be on top of the six existing AOCs that the Ombudsman has across the country.

"We intend to detail or assign permanently a lawyer per each assistance center, so that these lawyers can provide the necessary advice, help assistance, in filing the complaints and other assistance they can provide," Balmeo said during a House budget hearing on Tuesday, Sep. 8.

But that plan will only come to fruition if the House grants the Ombudsman additional budget, which was not included in its initial proposal under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

House lawmakers, including committee chairperson Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Suansing and vice chairperson FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-list Rep. Brian Poe Llamanzares, expressed their support for the Ombudsman's plan.

Suansing says the current development in the flood control project controversy is expected to encourage more Filipinos to lodge complaints in their respective localities.

The House, as per Suansing, wants to make sure that the Office of the Ombudsman would be well-equipped next year in terms of manpower and resources to perform that ever-expanding mandate, especially in light of the development.

"Given the current developments with regard to the flood control probe, we know a lot of these, as also directed by the president, would emanate from the localities. So yung mga reports yung Sumbong sa Pangulo, mas nakikita po kasi ng mga kababayan natin kung ano ang nangyayari sa ground (Because of the Sumbong sa Pangulo initiative, we can expect more complaints from those who we see it on the ground)," she said.

"Sana po maging avenue din po sila [AOCs] para sa mga kababayan nating gusto magsumbong, may gustong idulog, patungkol po sa nakikita nila most especially sa flood control developments (Hopefully, the AOCs will also become an avenue for our fellow who want to report something, especially concerning the flood control developments)," she said.

On Aug. 22, a directive was issued to the Ombudsman to create a 13-member panel that would investigate the anomalous flood control project transactions and pursue charges, if warranted, as more government officials appeared to have been involved in the billions-worth of corruption.

"Kailangan natin pondohan ang Office of Ombudsman para matuloy nila yung panel, para suportahan nila yung pangulo natin sa investigation pagdating sa flood control (We need to fund the Office of the Ombudsman so they can continue with the panel investigation and support our president in the investigation concerning flood control)," Llamanzares said.