The SALN, the SALN!
Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc. |
NINFA R. LEONARDIA
Editor-in-Chief & President | CARLA
P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO
TEJIDA III Desk Editor
PATRICK PANGILINAN
Busines
Editor
NIDA A. BUENAFE
Sports Editor
RENE GENOVE Bureau
Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising
Coordinator | CARLOS
ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer |
When Republic Act 6730 or the law requiring all government officials and employees to submit a statement of their assets, liabilities and networth every fiscal year, most of those covered protested, believing it to be just another cumbersome item that would only add to their paperwork.
Under this law, those covered have to submit on the required government form all their existing assets such as land, houses, jewelry, appliances, and all other forms of property they own as of the filing year, as well as their liabilities, or amounts they owe. This they accomplish and submit only after they have signed and sworn to its veracity and have it notarized by the proper officials.
The intent of the law was to keep track of the assets, income and liabilities of all government workers to ensure that what wealth and possessions they have are honestly acquired, and that they do not possess ill-gotten wealth. As stated in the law, all those who work for and are paid by the government have the obligation, without exception, to comply with it. And so everyone of them, or so it was believed, faithfully submitted such documents, now referred to as the SALN, under pain of sanctions or even prosecution.
It was therefore a shock to everyone to learn that the Supreme Court, on its own, and obviously in the belief that its officials are a class of their own, had issued a ruling prohibiting the disclosure of such documents accomplished by its members. And that is why the Senate-Court now trying the Chief Justice for various charges, had to demand the presentation of the SALN of the Chief Justice during the trial.
So far, the information shown on the SALNs covering a period of about ten years, are very revealing, indeed. How these will affect the outcome of the present legal exercise, we cannot be certain yet. But at least this case has confirmed that the SALN is living up to the intent of its proponents that transparency is one of the main keys in ensuring that government officials and employees are monitored in the way they acquire wealth and property.*
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