During Duterte’s term, it seems like preventing government agencies from fulfilling their mandates is a trend. Like calling a press conference at midnight to threaten the Commission on Audit (COA), and the Ombudsman releasing a Memorandum restricting access to a politician’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). 

Two years ago, the Office of the Ombudsman stopped furnishing SALN copies to the public after numerous requests were filed. Majority requests for the President and the Vice President’s SALN, which Martires says he cannot understand. 

“I really do not know the purpose of these people asking for the SALN of the President specifically and the Vice President. What is in those offices? Is it only the President and the Vice President who are capable of corruption? Is not corruption starting from the grassroots, from the branch of the clerks?” he said, therefore releasing a memorandum protecting government employees.

According to Martires, SALN is being weaponized against the public servants and he is a victim of this. He even proposed penalizing those who will make comments about a public document. These practices were criticized by Former Senator Atty. Joey Lima through an article published at the Manila Bulletin. 

First, the Former Senator raised that disclosing a public servant’s SALN is in the constitution. The law requiring public officials to submit a declaration can be found in the 1987 Constitution Article 11, Section 17, as well as the Republic Act 6713. 

Supporting these laws is the Constitution’s Article 3, Section 7, which states: “The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.” So, why restrict access to a public document?

Furthermore, Atty. Joey Lina pointed out that no memo or executive order could take precedence over a law passed by Congress. But Martires still chose to stand by his choice. Now, the public would have one less basis to investigate the corruption inside the government. 

With the memorandum in effect, the Ombudsman is not complying with its mandate. It says that the Ombudsman’s duty is to prioritize the people’s complaints against high-ranking government officials. The imposed memo goes against this. So, how can the Ombudsman promote efficient governance if they cannot provide a tool for anti-corruption?

Martires reasoned out that SALNs can be used as a weapon against public servants. Indeed, the media, and even internet trolls, have the power to use it as a weapon. But it should not be a reason to deprive the public of their freedom to information. SALNs, after all, is a form of trust between the officials and the Filipinos. In the words of Vice President Leni Robredo, the SALN is one of the biggest ways to show transparency and that there is no corruption.

Dinio De Leon also marked, “Kung walang tinatago, wala dapat ikatakot.”(If you have nothing to hide, there’s no reason to be scared.) If the people deemed a politician’s net worth suspicious, then they have some explaining to do.  

Martires also announced that he’s stopping lifestyle checks of the politicians. It is primarily because of questionable provisions under R.A. 6713. “Public officials and employees shall live modest lives appropriate to their positions and income.” 

He commented, “Ano ang pakialam natin sa buhay ng may buhay kung wala siyang inaagrabyado, kung siya ay nangungutang lang para masunod ‘yong layaw niya.” (We should not meddle with the lives of others as long as they are not hurting others, if they’re requesting loans to keep their lifestyle.) 

While this may be seen as unnecessary, for the Filipinos who pay taxes, it is. Corruption happens in the Philippines every year. At least 700 billion, or 20% of our 1.13 trillion peso budget, were missing from our funds and it’s alarming to see these figures. For a resource-rich country, the Philippines ranked 117 out 180 countries listed in the corruption perception index. We received a low score of 34 points. If the release of SALNs can help lessen the missing budget, then there should be no reason to make it inaccessible. 

To protect ourselves from these corrupt officials, it is up to our hands to choose a leader who will eliminate corruption. We need a leader who will appoint the best person to manage the government agencies. Hopefully, someone who will abide by the Ombudsman’s mandate and someone who will extend their hands to the people with no power in society. The new official must also have a clean track record, be an expert in the field, and most importantly, unbiased.  

And to establish a strong bond between the government and its people, public servants must be required to disclose their SALNs. This can be the first step our nation can take towards a united front. So for the 2022 elections, let us vote wisely and finally establish a new foundation of trust. Let us start the road to good governance.