Presidential aspirant former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sees no reason why statements of assets, liabilities and net worth should be made public if it would be used to politically attack government officials.
In an interview on the YouTube channel Luminous, Marcos suggested that the time a SALN may be given would be when cases are filed "but maybe not to the public but certainly to the agents of the court or the court itself."
"I think that might be a workable partial solution because lahat ng pulitiko may kalaban. Makakahanap, gagawan yan ng isyu kahit walang isyu. My prime example is Corona," Marcos said, referring to the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
On May 29, 2012, the Senate impeachment court on a vote of 20-3 found Corona guilty of violating Article II of the Articles of Impeachment for his failure to disclose certain assets in his SALN.
Marcos was one of the three who voted against Corona's conviction, the other two being senators Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor Santiago.
Asked if he would release his SALN when he's already President and ask the Ombudsman to recall its order prohibiting the release of the wealth declaration documents, Marcos said, "If the purpose is going to be political attack, then why do we want to do that?"
“So if that’s going to be the purpose for some political agenda, then I don’t see why the SALN should be given?" Marcos said.
At The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews aired on Saturday, Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson all agreed that the SALNs of government officials must be made available to the public.
Marcos skipped the said program.
Under the Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, public officials and employees “have an obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households.”
The Office of the Ombudsman had issued a policy restricting the public’s access to SALNs, including that of the President.
Further, the four candidates also agreed that the medical records of the President of the country should be publicized.
Reactions from other aspirants
In a tweet, Robredo’s spokesperson Atty. Barry Gutierrez said disclosing one's SALN is an obligation of a public official to prove his or her honest their public service.
“Ang walang tinatago, walang takot ilabas ang SALN. Obligasyon ito sa Konstitusyon at batas, at patunay na tapat ang isang lingkod-bayan,” he said.
[Those who have nothing to hide, do not fear releasing their SALN. This is an obligation in the Constitution and the law and proves that their public service is honest.]
“Si VP Leni, regular at agarang inilalabas ang kanyang SALN. Paano makapagtitiwala sa taong, sa simpleng bagay na ito, hindi pa kayang tumupad?” Gutierrez added.
[VP Leni regularly and immediately released her SALN. How could we trust a person who could not do such a simple thing?]
Pacquiao, on the other hand, said he would urge all government officials to release their SALN if he wins the race.
“Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gusto ng ibang kandidato basta sa ilalim po ng aking pamumuno, di lang po ang pangulo ang obligadong isapubliko ang SALN kundi maging ang lahat ng opisyal ng gobyerno,” Pacquiao said.
[I don’t know what the other candidates want but under my leadership, not only the president will be obliged to publicize his/her SALN but also all government officials.] —NB, GMA News
This article Marcos Jr.: No reason to release SALNs if used for political attacks was originally published in GMA News Online.
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