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Advocates Philippines
Strengthen And Empower The Ombudsman, Don't Create Another Commission - Analyst
Photo credit: Boying Remulla
As Congress debates the creation of a new Independent People’s Commission (IPC) following Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s proposal, political analyst and veteran communicator Ed Javier urged lawmakers to focus on empowering and strengthening the Office of the Ombudsman, warning that history shows new commissions rarely deliver swift or lasting justice.
“Every generation seems to respond to corruption the same way, by creating a new commission,” Javier said.
“But decades of experience show that commissions multiply paperwork, not convictions, and require new budgets, offices, and years of learning before they can even function," he added.
Sotto recently said that while the IPC is intended to aid future investigations, legislative action on the bill may have to wait until Congress resumes session due to priorities like the national budget.
Javier warned that waiting to create a new commission risks repeating past mistakes.
He cited historical commissions formed amid public crises: the Agrava Commission (1983), created to investigate the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., which left the nation divided and produced no clear results on who masterminded the killing; the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) (1986), tasked with recovering Marcos-era ill-gotten wealth but still mired in litigation decades later; the Truth Commission (2010), declared unconstitutional before completing its work; and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission under the Duterte administration, whose limited mandate and short-term powers produced minimal lasting impact.
“The lesson is clear: the problem has never been the absence of agencies. It has been the absence of speed, authority, and accountability,” Javier said.
He highlighted the staggering cost of institutional delays. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed recently that nearly P600 billion in government cases were lost due to “inordinate delay.”
“This is not just money lost. It is justice denied,” Javier said.
Instead of creating another commission, Javier called for empowering and strengthening the Ombudsman.
“Give it multi-layered authority: real law enforcement powers, digital and forensic capabilities, and the ability to directly oversee personnel from the PNP, NBI, DOJ, and AMLC,” he said.
“Streamlining investigative and enforcement functions under one empowered office makes prosecution faster, more efficient, and budget-wise. There is no need to fatten bureaucracy with a new commission that starts from zero," Javier said.
Javier also urged Sotto and other lawmakers to weigh the long-term impact of any new commission.
“For meaningful, lasting anti-corruption reform, Congress should focus on empowering and strengthening the Ombudsman with full enforcement authority, modern investigative tools, and streamlined processes. This approach strengthens existing institutions, avoids duplicating offices, and ensures that public funds are spent effectively while delivering real accountability,” Javier said.
Javier cited Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) as gold standards in anti-graft enforcement.
“They combine independence, direct law enforcement powers, financial and digital forensics, strict timelines, and public accountability. That allows them to investigate, arrest, prosecute, and recover assets swiftly, maintaining high conviction rates and public trust,” he said.
“With a reform-minded Ombudsman in place and public demand for accountability at a high point, the government can deliver results without duplicating offices or wasting public funds,” Javier said.
“Corruption is defeated not by press conferences or new acronyms, but by convictions and that requires institutions with real power, not more commissions," Javier concluded.
“Every generation seems to respond to corruption the same way, by creating a new commission,” Javier said.
“But decades of experience show that commissions multiply paperwork, not convictions, and require new budgets, offices, and years of learning before they can even function," he added.
Sotto recently said that while the IPC is intended to aid future investigations, legislative action on the bill may have to wait until Congress resumes session due to priorities like the national budget.
Javier warned that waiting to create a new commission risks repeating past mistakes.
He cited historical commissions formed amid public crises: the Agrava Commission (1983), created to investigate the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., which left the nation divided and produced no clear results on who masterminded the killing; the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) (1986), tasked with recovering Marcos-era ill-gotten wealth but still mired in litigation decades later; the Truth Commission (2010), declared unconstitutional before completing its work; and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission under the Duterte administration, whose limited mandate and short-term powers produced minimal lasting impact.
“The lesson is clear: the problem has never been the absence of agencies. It has been the absence of speed, authority, and accountability,” Javier said.
He highlighted the staggering cost of institutional delays. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed recently that nearly P600 billion in government cases were lost due to “inordinate delay.”
“This is not just money lost. It is justice denied,” Javier said.
Instead of creating another commission, Javier called for empowering and strengthening the Ombudsman.
“Give it multi-layered authority: real law enforcement powers, digital and forensic capabilities, and the ability to directly oversee personnel from the PNP, NBI, DOJ, and AMLC,” he said.
“Streamlining investigative and enforcement functions under one empowered office makes prosecution faster, more efficient, and budget-wise. There is no need to fatten bureaucracy with a new commission that starts from zero," Javier said.
Javier also urged Sotto and other lawmakers to weigh the long-term impact of any new commission.
“For meaningful, lasting anti-corruption reform, Congress should focus on empowering and strengthening the Ombudsman with full enforcement authority, modern investigative tools, and streamlined processes. This approach strengthens existing institutions, avoids duplicating offices, and ensures that public funds are spent effectively while delivering real accountability,” Javier said.
Javier cited Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) as gold standards in anti-graft enforcement.
“They combine independence, direct law enforcement powers, financial and digital forensics, strict timelines, and public accountability. That allows them to investigate, arrest, prosecute, and recover assets swiftly, maintaining high conviction rates and public trust,” he said.
“With a reform-minded Ombudsman in place and public demand for accountability at a high point, the government can deliver results without duplicating offices or wasting public funds,” Javier said.
“Corruption is defeated not by press conferences or new acronyms, but by convictions and that requires institutions with real power, not more commissions," Javier concluded.
Jan 2, 2026
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