Solons unite against new SALN for public officials

OPPOSITION and administration lawmakers crossed party lines Wednesday to protest the administration’s plan to require all public officials and employees to include their gross income, personal and family expenses and income taxes paid in their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, calling it a “blatant intrusion” into their constitutional right to privacy.

House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez warned the administration they will challenge the issue before the Supreme Court and resort to all legal means to stop the plan’s implementation.

“The additional information required is tantamount to a fishing expedition that infringes on a person’s right against self-incrimination and exposes public officials to harassment and abuse,” Suarez said.

He said that because the filing of statements of assets was covered by an existing law, that law must be amended before any new requirements could be imposed.

“We must register our objection to the proposed new SALN form, mainly because of potentially unconstitutional overreach,” Suarez said.

“But the new SALN form seeks to go much further by also requiring disclosure of matters like one’s gross income, personal and family expenses and income taxes paid.”

Suarez sad the proposed new SALN form was the “abominable, odious animal” being pushed by Internal Revenue.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Philip Pichay, a member of the House opposition bloc, said the new SALN form being now pushed by the Civil Service Commission was against the law.

“Regardless of our party affiliations, we rejected the new SALN form as being unconstitutional,” he said.

At a hearing conducted by the House committee on civil service and professional regulation on Wednesday, Civil Service Commission chief Francisco Duque said the new form was intended for the “transparency” of all government officials and employees.

Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, former chairman of the House ways and means committee, said the new SALN form would discriminate against government employees.

“The requirements [of the proposal] should not conflict with the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution and other laws like the Bank Secrecy Law,” Mandanas told the Manila Standard. –Maricel Cruz, Manila Standard Today