SALN Scandal of the Philippines Started with Chief Justice

Posted by Maribojoc Bohol on February 3rd, 2012 in Local News

By Jelly F. Musico

Amid the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, Senator Ralph Recto called on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Friday to spearhead a nationwide education campaign in all government offices on how to truthfully and correctly fill up the new Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) document.

“The retooling of the SALN should start in reorienting the entire bureaucracy on how to fill it up so that no lapses, discrepancies, omissions or concealment would be committed,” Recto, Senate ways and means chairman, said.

Corona has been accused of being untruthful in the declaration of his SALN as stated by the House prosecution panel in its Article 2 of the impeachment complaint against the chief justice.

“A crash course on ‘SALN 101’ should be in order,” Recto said, adding that some 1.3 million state employees, including at least 18,000 elected officials, would be filling up the new SALN form this year or before April 30, who would need the “expert guidance of the CSC as the issuing authority.”

“To succeed as national vaccine against state corruption, the new SALN must be executed with utmost precision for substantial compliance and this could only be addressed via a tutorial on correct filing,” he said.

Recto nevertheless said to have a uniform and vigorous compliance to the new SALN, the CSC should really step in to educate the entire bureaucracy from local government units, departments and agencies.

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