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MANILA, Philippines – The decision of the Ombudsman, Samuel Martires, to limit public access to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of a government official goes against a constitutional principle that requires transparency, said his predecessor .
“It goes against the constitutional principle that a public office is a public trust. There is this law that orders the presentation of SALN and also orders that the public have the right to even a photocopy of the SALN of public officials or employees as long as they do not cross the prohibited acts, ”former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
Martires previously issued new guidelines on requesting copies of the SALN from a government official, limiting it to declarant and officials conducting investigations.
“It does not comply with the spirit of the law, which means that the public office is a public trust and therefore one is supposed to be transparent,” Morales added.
The presentation of SALN is required under the Law of the Republic No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
On Tuesday, the Martyrs Ombudsman defended the restriction of public access to the SALN for officials, saying he is allegedly arming himself against government officials.
‘Debatable’
But Morales said that the supposed militarization of a SALN should be “the concern of the politician.”
“If he (Mártires) believes that a SALN request is being armed by enemies of the politician whose SALN is being requested, then that is the politician’s concern, but no one can reject anyone’s request to use or copy a SALN as long as it is not against morality or public policies, ”said the former Ombudsman.
“Now, if it turns out that whoever requested it (SALN) is using it against morals or public order, the person from whom SALN was requested has a remedy,” he added.
The government official can file a case against the applicant, according to Morales.
“The applicant, if guilty, can be fined no more than P25,000. So, it is the politician’s concern to blame the applicant if the requested SALN is being used against morals or public policies, ”he said.
When asked if Martires’ new policy shows an effort to protect politicians rather than the public interest, Morales said, “No, I don’t think so.”
“I will not take it to light… He has his own motivations for issuing that memo, but anyone can misinterpret or misinterpret a law. So you probably misread the law. I’m sorry to say that, Martyrs Ombudsman ”, he added.
/ MUF
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