MANILA, Philippines — Senator-judge Lito Lapid on Tuesday said the non-submission of Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) by public officials is a "serious matter," especially if an official does not declare their assets correctly.
During the 25th day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Lapid sought clarification on the rules governing the SALN, including the disclosure of dollar-denominated bank accounts and the penalties for failing to file or accurately declare assets.
In his interjection, Lapid asked Office of the Ombudsman Records Division officer-in-charge Karen Batu whether it was true that no politician or government employee would submit a truthful SALN.
The senator said he had seen a lawyer make the claim during a television interview, but clarified that he was unsure whether the statement was accurate.
"He said that it would be foolish for them to tell the truth. Is that correct? That they would tell the truth when submitting a truthful SALN?" Lapid said in Filipino.
Batu responded that she personally submits a truthful SALN.
Lapid raised the issue as the prosecution and defense continued their discussion of SALNs covering Duterte’s years in public office.
The senator said that the discussion had been ongoing since Monday and said many Filipinos, including farmers, tricycle drivers and fishermen, might not understand what a SALN is.
"So that our fellow Filipinos will know that the SALN is a very serious matter for us, especially if we do not declare our assets correctly," Lapid said.
Earlier, Lapid also asked Batu whether dollar-denominated bank accounts must be declared in a SALN.
Batu said such accounts must be declared and converted into pesos based on the Omnibus SALN Guidelines.
Lapid also asked about the penalty for failing to file a SALN even once.
In response, Batu stated that failure to submit a SALN constitutes a violation of Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, which carries administrative sanctions ranging from suspension to dismissal from service, as well as potential fines or imprisonment.
"It is mandatory," Batu said about the filing of SALN.
