Tag Archives: SALN

[In the news] Malacañang’s FOI bill makes public officials’ asset statements more accessible | Sun.Star

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Malacañang’s FOI bill makes public officials’ asset statements more accessible | Sun.Star.

February 3, 2012

MANILA — Malacañang’s version of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill will make asset statements of government officials, including members of the Judiciary, more accessible to the public, said a Cabinet official Friday.

Under the measure, the President, Vice President, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, members of the Supreme Court, members of constitutional commissions and other constitutional offices, and officers of the Armed Forces with general or flag rank are required to publicly disclose their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) yearly. Officials are also required to post these documents on their agency’s websites.

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Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said, however, that the Palace will still hold consultations regarding the bill’s implementing rules and regulations to reconcile with the Supreme Court’s policy of withholding SALNs to avoid being subjected for harassment.

Information not relevant in the SALN of an official, including their addresses, children’s names, and other personal data can be “redacted,” he added.

“The media, civil society, the public want to know ano ang mga ari-arian mo? Magkano ang halaga nito? Kailan mo binili, minana or whatever. Sa nakaraang taon, ngayong taon, paano ba nag-iba ang networth mo? I think we can all agree that this is the important information,” he said.

Read full article @ www.sunstar.com.ph

[In the news] Prosecution: Corona may have committed perjury for ‘undervalued’ assets – GMAnews.com

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Prosecution: Corona may have committed perjury for ‘undervalued’ assets
by Andreo C. Calonzo, GMA News
January 19, 2012

  The House prosecution team on Thursday said that Chief Justice Renato Corona may have lied under oath when he allegedly undervalued his properties in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, one of the prosecution panel’s spokesmen, said the testimonies of Taguig and Quezon City registers of deeds revealed that the value of Corona’s condominium units are higher than what he declared in his SALNs.

“Sinusumpaan ito. The SALN is under oath. Kung hindi ka nagsasabi ng totoo, you are guilty of perjury,” Quimbo said at a press briefing.

Read full article @ www.gmanetwork.com

[From the web] A long, sad search for SALNs « Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

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A long, sad search for SALNs « Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
by Karol Ilgagan, PCIJ
January 12, 2012

 WHAT follows is an account of PCIJ’s correspondences with the Office of the Secretary General and the Records Management Service of the House of Representatives, which as discussed in PCIJ’s story yesterday denied the release of the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and personal data sheet (PDS/CV) of the members of the 15th Congress.

The Office of the Secretary General is the repository agency of the SALNs of the members of the House of Representatives as provided in Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) and the Civil Service Commission’s Resolution No. 060231.

Read full article @ pcij.org

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[Press Release] Akbayan vouches for HOR transparency

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 “Akbayan has always been transparent especially with respect to ensuring the people’s access to our sworn statements of assets, liabilities and networth.”

That was the statement of Akbayan Party following the PCIJ report of House members’ alleged refusal to publicize their statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN), likening Congress to Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“While the PCIJ’s intention is laudable, the story gave the impression that members of the House are withholding the release of their SALN to the media,” Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello commented. “In fact, the problem stems from administrative bottlenecks in the process of disclosure of SALN to the public.”

Bello also explained that his office readily responds to requests for a copy of his SALN.

“All that our friends in PCIJ needed to do was to approach our office directly, and we would have gladly provided them a copy of our SALN,” Bello added.

For Bello, it should be clear that Congress has always been very public about the wealth of its members.

“Alam nating lahat na taun-taon, naglalabas ng listahan ng mga Kongresistang naka-rank ayon sa kanilang mga pag-aari,” Bello said. “This is the very big difference between Congress and the Supreme Court when the issue is transparency. The Supreme Court has a separate resolution that limits the people’s access to Justices’ SALN, which CJ Corona has exploited. In Congress, we have nothing to hide. In fact, we support the release of the detailed SALN and not just its summary.”

Bello also said that the Silip SALN bill Akbayan filed in August 2011 proposes various measures for the release of the detailed SALN, effectively overcoming the administrative bottlenecks in the process of disclosure.

“The problem that PCIJ has identified is not the submission and release of docs but the existence of administratiev bottlenecks in the process of disclosure. The story should have been clear on this,” Bello reiterated.

“What this bottleneck reveals is the need for Congress to proactively eliminate the roadblocks to people’s free and unimpeded access to information,” Bello concluded. “And especially in the issue of the people’s right to scrutinize the wealth of government officials, it is high time we work on passing the Silip SALN Bill.”

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
11 January, 2011