CSC to gov’t officials: File SALN by April 30

MANILA, Philippines – As the campaign period for the May elections heats up, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminds government officials and employees not to forget the filing of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) for 2015.

The deadline: April 30, 2016.

The SALN, which government officials and employees declare annually, is where they disclose the following information: 

• real properties (such as houses, lots, farm lands, etc)
• personal and other properties (such as cash, deposits, vehicles, firearms, etc)
• liabilities (such as loans, debts, and amounts payable)
• name of spouse, minor dependents, and relatives in government service
• business and financial interests

Failure to submit the SALN is a violation of Section 8 of Republic Act 6713. It is punishable by suspension of up to six 6 months for the first offense, and dismissal from service for the second offense.

As the SALN is a sworn document, misrepresentation and non-disclosure are tantamount to lying under oath.

Such was the case of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was impeached for failure to declare some properties in his SALN. (See Rappler’s coverage of the Corona trial here.)

Government officials and employees are advised to use the January 2015 version of the SALN form, which requires filers to identify the exact locations of their real properties. The form is downloadable from the CSC website.

The SALNs to be submitted will be stored by the following repository offices:

Government Official/Employee	Repository Agency
President, Vice President, Chairmen and Commissioners of Constitutional Offices (Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections, Commission on Audit)	National Office of the Ombudsman
Senators	Senate Secretary
House members	House of Representatives Secretary General
Justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals	Supreme Court Clerk of Court
Judges of Regional Trial Courts, Metropolitan Circuit Courts, Municipal Courts, and Special Courts	Court Administrator
National executive officials such as members of the Cabinet, undersecretaries, and foreign service officials Heads of government-owned-and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) and their subsidiaries, and of state universities and colleges (SUCs) Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from the rank of colonel / naval captain	Office of the President
Provincial officials and employees such as governors, vice governors, and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan City and municipal officials and employees such as mayors, vice mayors, and members of the Sangguniang Bayan/Panlungsod Officials and employees of regional offices of national government departments and bureaus, constitutional commissions, GOCCs and their subsidiaries, and the judiciary All other officials and employees of SUCs Regional officers below the rank of colonel/naval captain and civilian personnel of the AFP Regional officers and employees of the Philippine National Police (PNP)	Deputy Ombudsman
All other officials and employees of central offices of national government departments and bureaus, constitutional commissions, GOCCs and their subsidiaries, and the judiciary Appointive officials and employees of the legislature All other central officers below the rank of colonel/naval captain and civilian personnel of the AFP All other uniformed and non-uniformed central officers and employees of the PNP, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection	Civil Service Commission

 

Public document

As the SALN is a public document, copies may be requested by the public – including members of media – from the respective repository offices.

However, the CSC states that only SALNs not older than 10 years can be requested.

Rappler has been requesting for SALNs since 2012, and has had difficulties with acquiring some of them. (READ: Gov’t making access to public information harder)

The Supreme Court made available to the public the SALNs of its justices only starting 2012, but requests should get the approval of the whole en banc.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives had been releasing SALNs of individual congressmen in the past, but stopped doing so after Corona’s impeachment. It opted to release SALN summaries instead since then.

This prompted Rappler to request directly from offices of individual congressmen, but not all granted the requests. Rappler was able to collect only 5 SALNs in 2012, 9 SALNs in 2013, and 30 SALNs in 2014. – Rappler.com