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November 15, 2022

Koko supports Ombudsman's fight vs corruption: Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III expresses on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, his openness to push for increased funding for the Office of the Ombudsman to support its fight against corruption in government. At the fourth day of the upper chamber's marathon plenary sessions on the P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget, Pimentel noted that the P4.72-billion allocation proposed by the executive branch for the Office of the Ombudsman was retained in the House-approved General Appropriations Bill. He said he is willing to entertain and examine any request for budget augmentation by the constitutional body. "What's important is we are united, the majority bloc and minority bloc, when it comes to supporting the Ombudsman in his fight against corruption," Pimentel said. Meanwhile, the minority leader urged the Ombudsman to be a "model agency" to other government offices in itemizing and liquidating its confidential funds. For 2023, the Ombudsman was given some P51 million as confidential funds. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)

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