President Benigno Aquino III and Chief Justice Renato Corona. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona on Friday challenged President Benigno Aquino III to make public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), bank and psychological records.
“Mayroon po tayong obligasyon na ipakita sa taong bayan na maayos ang ating pag-iisip [We have an obligation to the people to show our state of mind],” Corona said in a statement to media, a day after Aquino raised anew doubts on Corona’s credibility as Chief Justice.
Corona said that for the sake of transparency, he has released his own SALN and was prepared to explain the details about his property.
“I have disclosed my SALN. I have not hidden it. Its non-publication is based on a two-decades-old ruling in the Supreme Court when I still wasn’t a justice. I will explain my SALN at the proper time, and according to the process of the impeachment proceedings,” Corona said in Filipino.
“Perhaps, it would be much better, Mr. President, if you disclose your SALN and explain it to the people. Maybe you should include your bank accounts and psychological records that have been a nagging issue,” Corona said.
Aquino’s psychological state came out during the 2010 presidential elections when a document allegedly from the Ateneo De Manila University showed that Aquino underwent psychiatric evaluation in 1996. The document was supposedly signed by Father Carmelo Caluag who assessed that he was suffering from a “major depressive disorder due to work-related issues”.
Aquino himself denounced the report as a hoax.