The Office of the Ombudsman wants greater visibility over every stage of the 2027 budget process to ensure that the proposed P107 billion for flood control goes to projects that actually mitigate flooding.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano on Tuesday said the anti-graft body had communicated with the House of Representatives and other government agencies about participating in deliberations on the proposed national budget.

“The Ombudsman has made it very public that in this budget, especially that we are entering into budget season, that we need visibility on each stage of the process from the NEP to the budget briefings to any insertions to the BICAM and finally as it reaches the GAA,” Clavano said at a press conference.

“The Ombudsman has asked for the office to be included in the process to ensure that what happened under the 2025 budget would not repeat,” he added.

Clavano said the Ombudsman has also requested a copy of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) from the Department of Budget and Management so it could independently scrutinize the proposal.

The move comes as the government proposes P107 billion for flood control projects for 2027 while the Ombudsman continues to investigate alleged anomalies involving infrastructure spending.

Since alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects were brought to public attention during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2025 State of the Nation Address, the Ombudsman has investigated and filed cases against several lawmakers.

Among those formally charged before the Sandiganbayan are former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Tarlac Rep. Noel Rivera and Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang.

The Ombudsman has also investigated former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom the anti-graft body has described as among the alleged “masterminds” of the scheme.

‘Hold two things at once’

Asked whether flood control funding should have remained out of the national budget while investigations were ongoing, Clavano said the country still needs projects to protect communities from flooding.

Recent widespread flooding, he said, underscored that need. The challenge is ensuring that public money finances projects that actually work.

“In this particular case, you have to be able to hold two things at once. Meaning to say, we need flood control projects. We need flood mitigation projects. We don’t want funding to go to flood control projects that can not contribute to the solution,” Clavano said.

“So yes, we need funding for flood control projects, however, and this is where the Ombudsman’s participation may be helpful, we have to make sure that every peso that is given to flood control projects is actually used for the right purpose.”

Other flood control cases

Several current and former members of the House are also undergoing preliminary investigation in connection with alleged irregularities.

Clavano identified former Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, former Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, Tarlac Rep. Cristina “Cristy” Cuello-Angeles, ACT-CIS Rep. Edvic Yap and Construction Workers Solidarity Party-list Rep. Edwin Guardiola.

The allegations against the lawmakers largely involve possible conflicts of interest over alleged stakes in construction companies awarded government projects.