TRANSPARENCY? | Duterte still won’t release SALN ‘out of respect’ for Ombudsman, says Roque

September 2, 2021 , 12:25 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(September 2, 2021) – Despite the growing clamor, President Rodrigo Duterte will still not release a copy of his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) even if he can authorize doing so, said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday.

Roque insisted that the public should instead seek the nod of the Ombudsman to obtain a copy of Duterte’s SALN, following the directive issued by the constitutional body last year.

“Because there’s a new policy being implemented by the Ombudsman as a constitutional body and we respect the prerogative of the Ombudsman in this regard,” said Roque in his press briefing.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires issued a memorandum in September 2020 restricting access to SALN, requiring a written authorization from the filing authority before the document can be released. Wealth records from as early as 2018 have been sealed after the order was announced.

Journalists have been unable to conduct regular lifestyle checks on government officials since the directive was imposed. Duterte’s last available SALN was for 2017, with his net worth increasing to P28.5 million. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has uploaded copies of all SALN records obtained since 1989 as it lamented the Ombudsman’s restriction.

Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo claimed in 2019 that the Office of the President does not have the responsibility to publicize Duterte’s SALN since there was no legal doctrine that mandates him to do so.

The Supreme Court upheld that public access to SALN can be restricted since it’s not an absolute vested right, denying the first publicly known petition challenging the Ombudsman’s order.

Roque admitted that Duterte can grant the requests but he shifted the responsibility to the Ombudsman. In an earlier statement, he insisted that Duterte has regularly filed his SALN.

“Well, he could, but he respects the Ombudsman and he leaves it to the Ombudsman,” said Roque.

Vice President Leni Robredo has challenged Duterte to release his SALN if he’s really serious about fighting government corruption. Robredo issued the statement after Duterte claimed he will audit all government agencies if he gets elected as vice president next year.

Robredo, for her part, has granted media requests for her SALN in the spirit of transparency.

“Maraming ibang paraan para ipakita mo na anti-corruption ka. ‘Yung SALN isa ‘yun sa mga paraan para ipakita mo na bukas ‘yung lahat ng information at pagpapakita ‘yun na walang korapsyon,” said Robredo last Sunday.

Other lawmakers and progressive groups have also been urging Duterte to release his SALN, saying his continued refusal belies his previous pronouncements that he won’t tolerate “even a whiff of corruption.

[READ: ‘NINGAS-KUGON’ | Duterte’s non-disclosure of SALN mars transparency in government]

(PM)

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