Palace shrugs off impropriety issue vs Tupas

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Tuesday brushed off the issue of impropriety being raised against Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., chairman of the House committee on justice, in connection with a multimillion-peso property in Quezon City.

“This is a diversion from what the actual issue is. It’s not the value of the property that is important. The issue is whether the actual value was concealed from the public as manifested in the SALN,” said Undersecretary Abigail Valte, President Benigno Aquino’s deputy spokesperson.

Valte said Tupas has already said that the property was bought only in 2011 and that he would disclose it in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for 2012.

Tupas is the lead prosecutor in the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, who is being tried for, among others, his alleged nondisclosure of his SALNs.