Defense lawyer tells lawmakers: Look in the mirror

Jose Roy III

Lawmakers should look at themselves in the mirror and stop blaming Chief Justice Renato Corona if he did not fully disclose his bank accounts and other sources of income in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Defense counsel Jose Roy III told reporters Thursday that the SALN law did not require public officials to declare up to the “centavo level” their total assets and even allowed them to correct the items they declared every year.

Not ‘centavo-accurate’

“I think it’s important to understand that the theory behind the SALN is not one that will require a ‘centavo-accurate’ description of one’s assets,” Roy said in an interview. “This is nearly impossible. I think the correct perspective is that the SALN should demonstrate a fair representation of (net worth).”

Roy said it was wrong to blame Corona for the “defects” in the SALN law which, he stressed, was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

He maintained that Corona was not required to declare his allowances and other fringe benefits from the Supreme Court since these were subject to a final tax. Marlon Ramos