Vice President Leni Robredo criticized the proposal of Ombudsman Samuel Martires to impose jail time on those who make commentaries on public officials’ Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

In her weekly radio show on Sunday, September 12, Robredo called the proposal “unbelievable.”

“Diba iyong Ombudsman, siya ‘yung mag-iimbestiga ng lahat ng implicated nga dito sa korapsyon o implicated sa kung anumang katiwalian sa public officials. Pero ngayon, parang ang role tuloy, with the statement na binigay…siya ‘yung ngipin ng administration para balikan…’yung nagki-criticize sa pamahalaan. Sobrang baliktad sa mandato ng opisina niya,” said Robredo on Sunday.

(The Ombudsman investigates all those implicated in corruption or the public officials implicated in such corruption. But the role he appears to take on is, based on his statement, he becomes the “teeth” of the administration to get back at those who criticize the government. It runs contrary to his office’s mandate.)

She also said that commentaries and public scrutiny on SALNs are unavoidable since it is “part of the deal” when public officials enter government.

“The mere fact na tinatago mo o hindi mo mini-make available, dinagdagan mo lang ‘yung mistrust ng tao eh…. Kung wala namang basehan ‘yung panggugulo, ‘di huwag mong bigyan ng due course.”

(The mere fact that you hide it or you don’t make it available, you just add to the mistrust of people [in government]…. If there’s no basis for the allegations [on your SALNs], then don’t give it due course.)

The Vice President also observed that institutions which ensure that there is no corruption in government seem to be “enabling” corruption through proposals like the “jail time” amendment. This impression also overshadows the work of employees she called “matitino” (decent) in these institutions.

“Kapag ‘yung head ganito, damay mo ‘yung buong opisina, damay mo ‘yung stability ng institusyon…. Kung ginagamit ‘yun para sa isang tao o para sa isang grupo, eh ‘yung panggastos ng Ombudsman, galing ‘yun sa pera ng taumbayan eh. Bakit parang nagiging personal tuloy ‘yung pag-defend? Parang nagiging private lawyer,” Robredo continued.

(If an office’s head is like this, the whole office and the stability of the institution are affected…. If the institution is being used for one person or one group, [it doesn’t make sense because] their mandate is funded by people’s money. Why does their defense seem personal? It’s like they’re acting like a private lawyer.)

Martires on Thursday, September 9, sought “stringent penalties” or a jail time of five years for people who make “commentaries” on an official’s SALN. He pushed for this proposal as an amendment to Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

In their SALNs, public officials are required to declare their real properties and personal assets – including those acquired prior to government service – as well as their liabilities. Out of these declarations, their net worth is computed.

The Ombudsman has argued that SALNs have been “weaponized” and “can destroy the reputation” of an official. He used this argument when he imposed new rules that restricted public access to officials’ SALNs.

Due to these rules, President Rodrigo Duterte’s SALNs since 2018 have yet to be released to the public.

“Kung public official ka na wala ka namang tinatago, wala namang problema kung ikaw mismo ‘yung maglabas eh,” Roberedo added.

(If you’re a public official who’s not hiding anything, there wouldn’t be a problem if you would release your SALN yourself.)

Meanwhile, Robredo regularly releases her SALNs on her own.

– Rappler.com