Red Plates

EDITORIAL

At least 15 government vehicles were seen in various tourist spots in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet by a monitoring team from the Office of the Ombudsman last week.

Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni bared this saying his office conducted Oplan Red Plate while in Baguio for a dialogue with stakeholders and to conduct information campaign on public accountability among the city’s barangay officials and government employees.

Task Force Red Plate was created by the Ombudsman’s Office in April 2006 to ensure government vehicles are used prudently and in accordance with laws and regulations. It also aimed to enhance public awareness and participation in support of the Ombudsman’s fight against graft and corruption.

Jalandoni said the vehicles they saw in tourist spots were yet to be determined if they were used as personal vehicles by government employees. He added with the cold weather in Baguio the past weeks, more tourists were coming up and it was possible that government vehicles were being used for private purposes.

The investigating team had taken pictures of these vehicles parked in tourist spots and they would conduct investigation with the help of the Land Transportation Office to determine what government agencies own said vehicles, and if they are on an official travel to Baguio City and La Trinidad.

If proven these government vehicles were being misused, proper administrative and other charges will be faced by the agency head and or those who used it.

In previous years, 19 government officials were suspended from office without pay for violating rules and regulations on use of government vehicles.

According to Jalandoni, it takes a lot of time to monitor if government vehicles are being used properly and their agency does not have the capability to conduct inspections frequently in various places.

Lack of personnel to carry out the Ombudsman's anti-graft and corruption functions, he said, had been preventing them from conducting inspections including lifestyle checks. The Office of the Ombudsman has planned to put up a satellite office in Baguio.

As Jalandoni himself admitted, it maybe better for the Office of the Ombudsman to leave the job to law enforcement agencies like the Land Transportation Office or the police and concentrate in prosecuting graft and corruption cases. It could start from within the office where corruption is allegedly rampant.