Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno has joined the mounting clamor for the release of President Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN).
Instead of preventing public access to the document, Diokno urged the Office of the Ombudsman to allow the release of SALN as part of promoting transparency in government.
Filipinos have not seen the President’s SALN since 2017 after authorities have been giving the requesting individuals the runaround on the release of the document. In his SALN dated 2017, Duterte declared a net worth of P28.5 million.
The Office of the Ombudsman recently denied the request of lawyers to access Duterte’s SALN, citing an earlier circular banning the release of SALNs without the person’s authorization. Duterte, however, previously claimed his SALN can be made available if the Ombudsman will allow it.
“Imbis na ipagkaila ni Omb. Martires ang hinihiling na SALN ni Pangulong Duterte, dapat ibinigay ito. Ang batas ang boss ng Ombudsman, hindi ang Pangulo,” Diokno tweted on September 10, 2021.
Ombudsman Samuel Martires, appointed by Duterte in 2018, has also proposed stiffer penalties for people commenting on the SALN of government officials. He claimed he was a “victim” of a news article that reported he was P15 million richer based on his 2019 SALN.
Diokno, however, opposed Martires’ attempt to prohibit Filipinos from commenting on matters of public concern. The Constitution, he pointed out, allows free speech.
“I disagree with Omb. Martires. Trabaho ng Ombudsman i-promote ang transparency, hindi ang hadlangan pa ito. The Constitution also guarantees our right to comment on matters of public concern—at kasama doon ang SALNs,” he said.
“Sabi mismo ng Supreme Court: while custodians of SALNs like Omb. Martires can regulate how SALNs can be inspected or copied, ‘such discretion does not carry with it the authority to prohibit access, inspection, examination, or copying’ [A.M. No. 09-8-6-SC, June 13, 2012],” he said.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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