No ‘conscious effort’ to hide Duterte’s wealth: Palace

MANILA – There is no “conscious effort to hide” President Rodrigo Duterte’s wealth, his spokesman said Wednesday, even as his net worth has not been disclosed since 2018.

Duterte is only following the guidelines of the Ombudsman’s Office, which previously restricted access to Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of government officials, according to presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

“I don’t think there is a conscious effort to hide it because he has done so. It is simply abiding by the guidelines recently issued by the Ombudsman because after all, the Ombudsman is a constitutional body charged with promoting accountability among public officials, “Roque told CNN Philippines.

“So, all he is saying is that we respect the guidelines issued by the Ombudsman and comply with those guidelines.”

Roque said that on Thursday he will ask the president if he will make his SALN public.

“The times we’ve talked, it’s about the typhoon. So, no, I haven’t mentioned it, but we have another meeting tomorrow and he will make another speech to the nation about COVID and maybe there I will bring it up later, “he said.

In September, the Ombudsman limited public access to the SALN of officials, allowing their release only for official investigations, by court order or with the authorization of the officials themselves.