Manila, Jan. 29 -- The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to recommend legislative reforms to strengthen the Office of the Ombudsman following its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects, Senate President Pro Tempore and committee chair Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.

Among the partial recommendations being finalized are proposals to establish a dedicated law enforcement arm to speed up investigations and case build-up and to allow the Ombudsman to deputize private lawyers as prosecutors.

"The Office of the Ombudsman should have its own law enforcement arm... to allow it to apply for search warrants and conduct follow-up investigations of corruption-related cases," Lacson said.

"One recommendation is to allow...