Ombudsman urges biz groups to fight corruption

Local

OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla urged Cebu’s business community to speak openly about corruption and push for more transparent, online government transactions, saying his experience in seven government positions had exposed him to bureaucratic inefficiencies and the abuse of public authority.

Remulla made the call after meeting business leaders at Casino Español on Thursday, Oct. 22, to gather feedback on corruption risks, regulatory bottlenecks and difficulties enterprises encounter when dealing with government agencies.

He said businesses should be able to submit requirements and transact with government offices online rather than rely on intermediaries who may demand unofficial payments.

“Government should actually help businessmen make their life easier in some ways,” he said.

Remulla said his years in public service had given him an understanding of how government processes work and how officials can misuse their authority.

“I'm not new to government. This is my 7th position that I held in our government,” he said.

He traced his government career to 1992, when he became a provincial board member of Cavite.

He later joined the Presidential Management Staff in Malacañang, served as a chief of staff, spent four terms in the House of Representatives, became Cavite governor and served as Secretary of Justice before assuming the ombudsman post.

“I think that I'm one of the few people who understands the processes, the intricacies of the bureaucracy, the tendencies of people to abuse power, I think, is something that I've seen,” he said.

Remulla urged people to resist abuses by communicating their experiences to his office instead of allowing problems to remain unreported.

“We have to fight back by being open or by openly communicating to us what is happening on the ground,” he said.

He said government agencies should help businesses operate without unnecessary obstacles, noting that their ability to invest and expand supports employment and economic activity.

Remulla announced that the Office of the Ombudsman would convene a Philippine Regulatory Summit in 2027 to bring together government regulatory agencies and discuss overlapping requirements, gaps in oversight and ways to improve transparency.

“Maraming problema. And many of them are deep-seated problems. Like regulatory capture,” he said.

He also said the Ombudsman had already removed a Bureau of Fire Protection chief and would continue investigating possible cases involving personnel who abuse their authority.

The business dialogue gathered recommendations on reviving the Investment Ombudsman Program, which would provide enterprises with a channel to report bribery, delayed permits and abuse of regulatory authority.

The proposed initiative forms part of the office’s broader efforts to address obstacles to investment and improve accountability in government transactions.

Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic “Mico” Clavano IV thanked the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry for bringing together representatives of small, medium and large enterprises.

Clavano said the consultation was intended to hear directly from business owners about their experiences with government procedures rather than wait for their concerns to become formal complaints.

He said the office would document the recommendations and consider them in its continuing institutional initiatives.

Remulla described the dialogue as encouraging and said he hoped to conduct similar consultations in other areas to better understand the challenges faced by businesses.

Earlier on Thursday, he also met with Cebu lechon makers, whom he described as an important part of the province’s culture and economy.

He said the consultations would help the Ombudsman gain a broader understanding of local businesses’ difficulties and identify ways the government could support economic activity while addressing corruption.

Notable business leaders present during the dialogue included Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president for MSME Development Melanie C. Ng and Regan Rex T. King, the 52nd president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.(MyTVCebu)