Palace: No conscious effort to conceal Duterte SALN

By Prince Golez

Malacañang reiterated on Wednesday that President Rodrigo Duterte is not concealing his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Duterte has yet to release his SALNs for 2018 and 2019.

“I don’t think there is a conscious effort to conceal because he has complied with it,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told CNN Philippines.

Roque added that the President is only respecting the new guidelines issued by the Office of the Ombudsman in releasing copies of SALN.

“He is just respecting the recent guidelines issued by the Ombudsman because after all the Ombudsman is a constitutional body tasked with promoting accountability amongst public officers,” the Palace official said.

“So, all he’s saying is let’s respect the guidelines issued by the Ombudsman and comply with those guidelines,” he added.

Under the Ombudsman’s Memorandum Circular No. 1, SALNs would only be released in the following situations:

*if the government official who filed it and his or her official representative made a request;

*if it is legally ordered by the court in relation to a pending case: and

*if the request is made through the Office of the Ombudsman’s field investigation office for the purpose of a fact-finding probe.

“No SALN will be furnished to the requester unless he/she presents a notarized letter of authority from the declarant allowing the release of the requested SALN,” the circular also stated.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)