One of the social jobs that perhaps society does not value enough and often criticizes in an undeserved way, is that of citizen observers, people who are dedicated to monitoring the functioning of the State and the contracts that are made at the regional level. or national, in order to guarantee that everything is done correctly and alert for any anomaly.
Thanks to their efforts, according to data from the Comptroller’s Office, the country has managed to save one billion public resources that were at risk, either due to lack of execution or allocation of money to works that were never completed. These follow-ups often became processes carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office.
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This was announced by the Comptroller General of the Republic, Carlos Hernán Rodríguez, who during the II National Meeting of Observers and Social Actors, requested that there be more spaces for observers to continue being an active part of a citizenry that gives more importance to the surveillance and defense of public resources.
“We currently have more than 26,700 observers nationwide, we have managed more than 2,257 tax complaints between 2023 and 2024, thanks to these and the work coordinated with our collegiate management, we have been able to identify 1,468 white elephants and critical projects throughout the national territory, achieving that 141 works have been put at the service of the community through the Colombia Commitment strategy and the Participatory Fiscal Control Interventions for $1.9 billion,” he noted.
Corruption
The control entity also highlighted the importance of the work of the citizen oversight in the monitoring they carry out, adding that citizen oversight represents one of the most powerful tools to guarantee transparency, accountability and defense against corruption in public institutions.
“The management that you carry out from your communities, accompanied by the work of the Comptroller General of the Republic, has been fundamental in the fulfillment of our mission of guaranteeing the good management of public resources destined for community plans, programs and projects,” he said. Rodríguez Becerra.
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In this way, it was highlighted that the articulation between the General Comptroller’s Office and the citizen oversight bodies is key to generating a more robust social control system that is closer to the people, which is why it was recommended to pay more attention to Participatory Fiscal Control strategies. as ‘Colombia Commitment’, which is intended to unblock the execution of projects that present complications.
“Citizen support is the most important component of the strategy, in which we currently have 346 projects worth $16.4 billion under follow-up, which are expected to be put into operation, ensuring that these projects respond to the real needs of the communities. and that every peso invested is used responsibly and efficiently,” they reported.
The Comptroller General of the Republic
Likewise, the Comptroller’s Office hopes that before the end of this term, 49 works worth $1,198 billion pesos were arranged in favor of civil society, so, added to all other efforts, Line 199 was put at the service of citizens, a direct and accessible channel that was enabled to that all people and observers have a direct way to report any irregularity in the management of public resources.
“In the last year, this line has received more than 36,413 calls, of which 18,799 made reference to issues within the jurisdiction of the Comptroller’s Office, many of them becoming the starting point for investigations and preventive actions that protect public assets. . This line is one more tool to reinforce participatory fiscal control, allowing citizens to be a key ally in the fight against corruption,” they concluded.
Finally, Comptroller Carlos Hernán Rodríguez announced that, as a result of the proposals he has received from several observers during his visits to different regions of the country, he will promote with their support a reform to Law 850 of 2003, which regulates Citizen Oversight Offices. , in order to strengthen the capacities of the oversight bodies and guarantee their effectiveness.
