The plenary hall of the House of Representatives. (Photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition lawmakers at the House of Representatives were up in arms against the looming approval of a proposed resolution that would impose stricter rules on access to congressmen’s statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs).
They branded the proposal as a “suspicious” move that “negates the principles of transparency and accountability.”
Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman urged his colleagues to block House Resolution No. (HR) 2467, which aims to make any request for SALN access and disclosure to have the approval of the majority in plenary session, which he said is “sought to be enforced for the first time.”
READ: Request for solons’ SALNs may soon need House plenary approval
“If we have nothing to hide, why make public access to and disclosure of SALNs, which are public documents, extremely difficult to the extent of discouraging and deterring applicants from securing copies of said SALNs?” Lagman asked.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the proposed rules “clearly negate the principles of transparency and accountability enshrined in our constitution and laws.”
“Bayan Muna and the Makabayan Bloc will continue to be transparent, as we have always been, by releasing copies of our SALNs to the media, researchers and the public when requested,” he said.
For Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, the rule makes the House leadership seem “hell-bent in trying to hide the true wealth of its members.” Colmenares was a former representative of Bayan Muna at the House.
“This is highly suspicious especially now that the election is near and talks of billions of pork barrel in the national budget are in the headlines,” Colmenares added in a statement on Friday. “This will only further aid in hiding ill-gotten wealth by corrupt politicians.”
On Wednesday, the House adopted on second reading HR 2467, which requires plenary approval or approval of the majority of the 292 district and party-list representatives before any of their SALN could be released.
It also states many submissions and requirements from the requesting party, even for members of the media, such as “proof under oath of media affiliation, and certification of the accreditation of media accreditation as a legitimate media practitioner.”
House Majority Leader Fredenil Castro said the resolution was just based on the former House leadership’s HR 1410.
In May 2017, the lower House, under the leadership of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, failed to release a summary of its members’ SALN after it created a review committee to draft rules on the request for the public document. The said committee, chaired by Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Reynaldo Umali, drafted HR 1410.
READ: House fails to release SALN summaries after creating new review committee
/kga