Manila, Sept. 1 -- The Office of the Ombudsman may soon have its own law enforcement arm capable of making arrests and conducting searches and seizures under a measure filed in the Senate.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday Senate Bill 2394, or the proposed Ombudsman Marshall Service Act, would reduce the anti-graft body's dependence on the Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in carrying out law enforcement functions.

"The Ombudsman needs its own law enforcement arm. It currently relies on help from the PNP and NBI," he said in a news release.

Lacson said he filed the measure after seeing the challenges faced by the Ombudsman in investigating cases involving flood control, reclamation, and othe...