For transparency’s sake

The thought that a nation could rise or fall on the availability or scarcity of a document seems absurd, considering that an economic power like, say, the United Kingdom lasted so many years without so much as a written Constitution.

Yet here we are with Chief Justice Renato Corona being tried by the Senate for, among other reasons, failure to submit a full inventory in a statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Corona’s unpopularity took a turn for the worse with reports that he and his family own at least 40 pieces of real estate that the Coronas could not possibly acquire considering the relatively modest salary of the nation’s lead magistrate.

An official’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth is no ordinary piece of paper but a vital token of accountability to the public that the law demands. It enables the people to be certain that a government official is living within his means (and therefore is not corrupt), does not owe anyone a favor (and therefore cannot be corrupted) and models simple living as the law requires.

Republic Act No. 6713, the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees,” stipulates that:

“Public officials and employees have an obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under eighteen (18) years of age living in their households.”

Now has there been a case of subordinates following the leader?

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) recently released a telling report titled, “Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, judiciary score perfect zero on statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).”

Failure to file SALNs is not limited to members of the judiciary.

The PCIJ also reported that the members of the House of Representatives appear to be remiss in filing their SALNs.

“From September 2010 to December 2011, PCIJ made a total of 28 calls and sent four letters to the Office of the Secretary General to obtain copies of the July 2010 (upon assumption) and December 2010 SALNs of the 15th Congress members and the CVs and PDS of 14th Congress and 15th Congress members. As of this writing (January 2012), these have yet to be released by the repository agency.”

The people are wise enough not to fall for a ride with those who would discredit the trial of the Chief Justice on the basis of the same lack of transparency among the members of the Lower House. They know tu quoque when they see it.

But for justice’s sake, let the full weight of the law fall on those who failed to submit to it on the simple question of transparency, be they in the judiciary, Congress or even Malacañang.