Robredo: All gov’t employees should declare all assets in SALNs
Vice President Leni Robredo (Photo from the Office of the Vice President)
ILOILO CITY — All government officials, including those not elected, are obliged to declare in their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) all their wealth and assets, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the launching of her “Ahon Laylayan” coalition here, Robredo said there should be equal treatment under the law whether one occupies a high position or not.
“Alam natin na may mga maliliit na manggagagawa sa pamahalaan na naparusahan dahil hindi naging makatotohanan ‘yung paglagay sa SALN (There were many low-ranking government employees who were penalized for failing to be truthful in the filing of their SALN),” the Vice President said when sought for comment on President Duterte’s statement regarding his family’s income and SALN.
The President said in a speech here on Saturday that his income and that of his family outside of the government was “nobody’s business.”
He also said that he inherited money from his mother Soledad Duterte which was not reflected in his SALN.
Robredo said the public expects the same standards in the application of the law for high officials and for the low-rank employees.
She said she had to divest herself of their business interest when she first entered government service as a representative of Camarines Sur’s 3rd district.
“This is to avoid conflict of interest because we are holding influential and powerful positions. We cannot even practice our profession while we are elected officials,” she said.
Former Quezon representative Erin Tañada, one of the eight senatorial candidates of Otso Derecho, said the issue is simple.
“Explain the wealth because the President served more years as a mayor than as a lawyer. How much is the salary of a prosecutor before he became mayor? When he became mayor, why did his income balloon?” Tañada told the INQUIRER.
“This is not a matter of filing a case or not. This is about honesty,” he said./lzb
