A legislative proposal filed by Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson seeks to establish an independent law enforcement unit for the Office of the Ombudsman, authorizing the agency to execute arrests, detentions, searches, and seizures under existing laws.
Senate Bill No. 2394, submitted on August 12, proposes amendments to Section 15 of Republic Act No. 6770, otherwise known as the Ombudsman Act of 1989.
The measure introduces the Ombudsman Marshall Service, a specialized body designed to proactively conduct inquiries, investigations, and inspections to gather crucial evidence for corruption cases.
Lacson emphasized that the bill aims to support the anti-graft oversight agency as it faces operational hurdles while investigating corruption allegations involving public infrastructure, flood control, and land reclamation projects.
“The bill I filed gives the Ombudsman its own law enforcement arm focusing on graft and corruption cases under the mandate of the Ombudsman, to show my support for their work,” Lacson stated in a broadcast interview.
“With the law enforcement arm, it can apply for search warrants and serve arrest warrants to make its job easier,” he said.
The former chief of the Philippine National Police highlighted that the anti-graft body currently depends on external law enforcement entities to execute legal processes.
“The Ombudsman needs its own law enforcement arm. It currently relies on help from the PNP and NBI,” he remarked.
To accelerate the measure’s passage, Lacson reached out to Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, head of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, requesting prioritized hearings. He suggested creating a subcommittee that he could head to defend the proposal on the Senate floor.
He also urged Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro, chairperson of the counterpart House Committee on Justice, to champion a similar bill.
In the explanatory note of the bill, Lacson stressed the constitutional alignment of the proposed powers:
“In order to strengthen the Office of the Ombudsman in the exercise of its power to investigate, it is essential to afford the Office of the Ombudsman the power to effect arrests, detention, searches and seizures in accordance with the performance of its mandate imposed by no less than the Constitution itself,” he wrote.
Under SB 2394, the proposed Ombudsman Marshall Service will be headed by a Special Investigator holding the rank, compensation, and retirement privileges equal to a Deputy Ombudsman. Assigned peace officers, designated as Ombudsman Marshals, will hold the authority to execute warrants, process detentions, and conduct searches.
The bill permits marshals to carry appropriate firearms without requiring additional permits from other government agencies to protect themselves, witnesses, and individuals in their custody.
The unit will also be empowered to execute mandates and processes issued by the Sandiganbayan, anti-corruption courts, and the Ombudsman, and will maintain dedicated detention facilities for suspects, whistleblowers, and witnesses.