Robredo to gov't execs: Show SALN, come out clean of corruption

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday dared government officials to show to the public their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), to prove that their hands are not tainted with corruption.

Robredo's challenge came after President Rodrigo Duterte -- in Thursday's public address -- revealed that he will become a state auditor of all government agencies once he wins the vice presidential post in the May 2022 polls. 

But Robredo said -- referring to Duterte's  statement -- auditing is not the job of the vice president, and that it is Commission on Audit's constitutional mandate to do so.

"Ang mandato ng VP succession lang. Kami ano lang kami creative na lang kami kaya may anti-poverty program pero 'yung pag-audit, nakalagay yan sa constitutional body,"  Robredo said in her weekly radio program.

(The VP's mandate is succession. We are just being creative with our anti-poverty-alleviation program. But auditing it is given to a constitutional body.)

"Bakit nakalagay 'yan sa constitutional body? Para may independence hindi pinapakialaman ng ibang branches ng government," she pointed out.

(Why is it in a constitutional body? So that there is independence from other branches of the government.)

Robredo advised government officials to comply with COA's requirements and make public their SALN. This, she added, will help regain public trust in government.

"Sa akin lang, maraming ibang paraan na ipakita mo na anti-corruption ka. 'Yung SALN, isa 'yun sa napakalaking dahilan para  ipakita mo na bukas ang information na magpapakita na walang corruption," Robredo said.

[There are many ways to show that  you are not corrupt. Making the SALN public is an important response to the demand of transparency.]

"'Yung pagsunod sa COA, pagpapakita sumusunod tayo sa lahat ng patakaran. Assessment 'yun ng COA na walang corruption na nangyayari," she added.

(Complying with COA on the SALN would show that we are following the rules. It is an assessment that there are no anomalies in the agency.)

In September last year, the Office of the Ombudsman restricted access to public officials' SALN by requiring first to seek consent from the official concerned before making a SALN request.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said the President is not hiding anything but referred the release of the Chief Executive's SALN to Ombudsman. —LBG, GMA News