Palace bucks stricter House rules on SALN release
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:33:28 +0000
MALACANANG is not inclined toward requiring plenary approval for access to the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) of lawnakers as it may hinder the constitutional right of people to information.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the executive branch “does not intrude into the internal rules and procedures adopted” by Congress but noted that the resolution on lawmakers’ SALNs may not be consistent with the government’s policy on transparency.
“We note the passage of a resolution of the House of Representatives requiring plenary approval before it may release a copy of a member’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) to the public. Such a procedure may be perceived as a transgression of Article 11 of the Constitution, requiring any public official to submit a SALN, in relation to Article 2 thereof which guarantees the right of the people to information on matters of public concern. Republic Act 6713 makes the said document readily available to the public,” Panelo said.
While the House imposes stringent measures on SALN, Panelo said that the Executive has promoted transparency when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 2 on the Freedom of Information “making effective the people’s right to information within its branch.”
“Any stringent measure which burdens the people in obtaining public information may not be consistent with transparency and accountability of public officials,” he added.
The House recently adopted Resolution 2467 that would require plenary approval before gaining access to a lawmaker’s SALN.
The resolution, authored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, also seeks to establish the SALN Review and Compliance Committee that will screen public request for the documents stating the wealth of lawmakers.
It also has a condition that requesting party will be required to pay P300 for every copy of SALN. Requesting a copy of SALN of the 300 House members will require a fee totaling to P90,000.
Aside from the fee, the resolution also obliges the requesting party to provide all information about them, the purpose of the request and interest sought to be served and, if applicable, the justification for access to previous SALNs.
Meanwhile, members of the media who wish to secure a copy of the SALN will be required to provide an affidavit of affiliation and certification from the news organization proving that the one requesting is a legitimate practitioner. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
The post Palace bucks stricter House rules on SALN release appeared first on The Manila Times Online.