by VERA Files
Philippine Daily Inquirer
If Filipinos are wondering how government officials and employees become millionaires overnight, buying expensive cars, moving to upscale homes, or taking frequent trips abroad, the answers can be partly found by checking their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).
A SALN is a document that all those serving in government—from the lowliest clerk to the President—are required to submit. It discloses how much money they have, what property they own, what companies and businesses they have interests in, how much they owe and who their relatives in government are.
The disclosure includes not just the officials’ own assets and liabilities, but even those of their spouses and children below 18.
(This article was written for the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “Talk of the Town.” Read the full text in the Inquirer. Also read “SALN violators: No big fish since Marcelo’s Time” and “Where to get SALN.”)
“As a government employee, you occupy a position that is vested with public trust,” said the manual for filing SALNs published last year. “The SALN is the badge of honor of the honest civil servant that must be accomplished with pride. It shows that an employee did not exploit his or her public office for illegal gain.”
Can we shove this to the face of Gloria Arroyo, her sons and her cohorts?
Hello Ellen.
I followed the link to PDInquirer, and obviously the memo issued by the Office of the Ombudsman, providing “guidelines” as to who can access a SAL N and for what purpose, can only be interpreted by me two ways: 1. “Gusto mong tumulong linisin ang mga katiwalian ‘no? Isulat mo muna ang iyonh buong pangalan, pati tirahan mo, at ng madali ka naming ipapatay. 2. “Alam mo nang nagpapayaman nga ang mga public officials eh, bakit ba ang kulit mo?”
Sarcastic? Well, it’s the only way I can interpret that memo, reeking with sarcasm. An Ombudsman who is intimidating the public to help its office to uncover erring public servants is being sarcastic.
And what could be more sarcastic than this –
We kicked out the KBL and Marcos. They are back. Cory, because “we” believed she was better than Marcos, we “tolerated” her Kamaganak, Inc., and heaved a sigh of resignation after she anointed Tabako. Tabako? He did not even get slapped on the wrist for that Expo white elephant and “what happened to the AFP modernization fund,” yet people call him a “statesman.” *They* kicked out Erap, we got Gloria, with Tabako right behind her back, now slowly tiptoeing away from her.
And now? Erap is back too! Everybody who raped the people is back, and they now have a younger generation of *leaders* wanting to do *better.*
For Krist’s sake! How can we inculcate to the youth that it is their moral obligation to be good citizens, kahit nakalabas ng yung hinliliit ng paa niya sa suot niyang butas na sapatos, while they are devouring their instant noodles, watching the boob tube ng kahanggan, seeing the personalities who should have long been all rotting behind bars, being adulated by the adults?
Ni hindi man lang makahinga ang nakagulapa ko ng Lupang Sinilangan…. At hindi na din makapagisip man lang ang mga kabataan ng maayos upang maitanong sa mga kandidato –
1. pakisaad naman po ng mga konkretong paraan na gagawin ninyo upang masugpo ang mga katiwalian? paki sabi na din po na nakadetalye, saan at papaano ninyo isusulong ang aming kinabukasan? kasi mula pa po sa lolo ko, tuwing eleksiyon, pahirap ng pahirap ang buhay namin…
2. kailan po ninyo ipapatupad na uunahin na nga ng pamahalaan na gastusan ang aming pagaaral, kasya bayadan ng dugo at pawis ng aming nanay na nasa Dubai ang gabundok na foreign debt na inyo namang nilulustay?
3. kami po ba ay iginagalang ninyo? o ginag*go ninyo? hindi po kasi namin kailangan ma-enterntain, ang kailangan po namin ay ma-enlightened, at ma-inspire.
5. lastly po, pagpunta po ba ninyo dito sa aming bayan, sino pong mga artista ang kasama ninyo? 🙁
Again, the Problem with Accountability of Government Officials, elected, appointed and career is the enforcement and the Practicality of the Law…when the Current Government promised to Overhaul the country’s Accountability Act aftermath of the corruption that rocked the nation, First it Drafted an Action Plan, Item by Item the Old Act was scrutinized for its Defects and the Action Plan was implemented as Necessary…and here is the how the New and Amended Act come into life..took Nine Months of Debates, Deliberations and Consultations, but in the End an Act that even the Opposition cheerfully supported in Passing in a Minority Government…The Accountability Act of 2006…
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/media/nr-cp/2006/1212-eng.asp
they are public officials,dapat ng mga SALN nila naka diyaryo pa,para fair enough naman sanagbabayad ng taxes.
Agree. As public officials, they should be transparent with their personal holdings. That is if those were all legitimately acquired.
All this secrecy suggests that they have something to hide.
Monitoring is one thing. Implementing the law and punishing the villains is another. I have yet to see the culprits who underdeclared their assets go to jail, banned from ever sitting in a public office again and all their looted assets taken from them PRONTO to be auctioned off and given back to the treasury for the people! The slow motion judicial system allows the crooks to transfer all the looted money to legitimate businessess first or deplete the looted money to buy foreign assets before the loot is discovered!
The Philippines should have a “Legal Journal” published by the govt detailing expenses by institutions, agencies, govt officials, civil servants…
Walastik naman kasi, eh.
Sabi ni goyang noong kakaagaw pa lamang niya ng upuan ni Erap na magiging transparent ang gobyerno niya pero lumabas na transhipment pala ng mga nakaw ang labas.
Hindi kaya sila mahilo sa kalilista kung saan saang bangko at bansa sila pupunta para magwidro ng mga ninakaw nila?
Buking na ang mga ganid, patay tanggi pa’t nagmamalinis.
Mga butset!