Ombudsman move to stop lifestyle checks, restrict SALN access affects transparency —PACC chair

Ombudsman Samuel Martires' move to stop the conduct of lifestyle checks on public officials and restricting public access to their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) defeats the purpose of transparency in government, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) chair Dante Jimenez said Sunday.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, Jimenez slammed the recent disclosure of the Ombudsman, saying that such decision has caused the erosion of public trust and confidence on the anti-graft office.

"Nasira dito ang reputation ng Ombudsman. Mabagal na nga ang mga imbestigasyon ninyo, bibigyan niyo pa ng restrictions ang ating mga kababayan," he said.

"First time ito in the history of the Ombudsman, for the Ombudsman to restrict itong accessibility ng SALN ng more than one million government personnel. 'Yun ang punto ko diyan. I don't know ano ang kanilang purpose, but it practically defeats the purpose of transparency," he added.

On Saturday, Martires defended his order to stop lifestyle checks on public officials and restricting public access to SALNs, saying that these are being used by politicians and media practitioners for extortion.

But Jimenez seemed not convinced with Martires' explanation, saying that a government official or personnel has nothing to fear if he or she is not involved in anomalies.

"Respectfully, I don't buy that idea. Kung ikaw ay maayos na tao sa gobyerno, what is the fear? Wala ka dapat itago, wala ka dapat ikatakot," he said.

Jimenez expressed concern that the public might have lost their "weapon" against erring public officials with the Ombudsman's decision.

"Hindi lang SALN, pati lifestyle check ang mga instrument, ang mga weapon to know whether government officials ay yumaman dahil nasa gobyerno 'yan," he said.

"This kind of initiative taken by the Ombudsman, nadi-defeat ang purpose of war against corruption. Kami alam namin ang ginagawa namin sa PACC at 'yung ibang mga ahensiya natin. But how about our own people? They rely so much on the Ombudsman," he added.

Jimenez urged the Ombudsman to reconsider its move to ensure transparency in governance.

"The trust and confidence of the Filipino people will depend on how you perform your job. That is transparency," he added.

‘Only plunderers fear SALN’

Akbayan Chair Emeritus Etta Rosales, meanwhile, said “the only people scared of their own SALN are people who have something to hide. Only plunderers fear the SALN."

Rosales also urged Martires to withdraw his decision, arguing that it goes against the “spirit of accountability.”

"The SALN Law Martires seeks to review -- RA 6713 -- was itself a response to the Marcos dictatorship and widespread corruption by his cronies. If he insists on upholding this order, he stoops to the level of Imee Marcos and her mother. Let us not fall into the mistakes of the past," she said.

"Mr. Martires, as Ombudsman, you are supposed to side with the people, not with corrupt officials. Do not be a friend of the greedy," Rosales added.  —with a report from Julia Mari Ornedo/KG/LBG, GMA News