Ombudsman worth P40M, SALN shows

MANILA, Philippines - Retired Supreme Court associate justice and now Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales is worth P40.749 million, according to her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

The document released to The STAR yesterday showed Morales declaring real properties that include three condominium units in Manila, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, and in Baguio City valued at P2 million, P4 million and P2.5 million, respectively.

Morales also has two residential lots and a house in Muntinlupa valued at P2.7 million; a house and lot in Lemery, Batangas valued at P2.6 million; a plot at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque worth P300,000; and a memorial lot valued at P1,500.

All her real properties were purchased from 1972 to 2011, the latest being the condominium unit in Albergo, Baguio City, which was bought only last year.

Morales declared ownership of four cars acquired separately in 1986, 1990, 1995, and 2003, with a total value of P1.140 million. Her first car was bought for only P50,000.

She also has jewelry, books, furniture, antiques, silverware and related assets worth P2.9 million, along with cash and investments in the amount of P25 million.

The Ombudsman declared only one liability – a P2.4-million amortization for a condominium unit payable to the Eton Group of Companies.

She declared that she and her family, including her husband who is a retired regional director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), has no business interest or any other financial connections to speak of.

She said she has nine relatives working in government, including a son and daughter in the Supreme Court, another son at the Registry of Deeds in Muntinlupa, two brothers, two sisters-in- law, and two nephews.

Morales filed her SALN on July 29, 2011 in accordance with Section 8 of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

With a net worth of P40.7 million, she is as rich as Vice President Jejomar Binay who, in his SALN filed before the Office of the Ombudsman last year, is worth P41.2 million.

Morales, who was appointed by President Aquino last year, is apparently reviewing existing rules and policies when it comes to releasing documents to media and the public.

Her SALN was released to The STAR two days after a request was filed, despite a huge billboard outside the Public Assistance Bureau (PAB) which states that the release should only take about 66 minutes from the time that a request is filed.

Repeated reminders and warnings were also given against any misuse of the SALN based on guidelines enumerated at the back of the request form, which this reporter had to swear to under oath.

“I hereby certify under oath that the undersigned is the person whose name and signature appears hereunder and that the above-requested Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth will be used for the above-mentioned purpose (for dissemination to the general public by news and communication media) and for no other purpose. Neither will the contents thereof be disclosed to a third-party who is not the requester of the said SALN,” the rules state.

The Office of the Ombudsman even made a lawyer call The STAR through Associate Editor Marichu Villanueva to verify if this reporter has been authorized to ask for a copy of Morales’ SALN while also reminding her of the rules.

Several years ago, the process of securing copies of SALNs at the Office of the Ombudsman took weeks because of the requirement that a letter from the editor be filed and forwarded to the anti-graft agency’s Office on Legal Affairs (OLA).

But in 2009, the rules were relaxed with media only being required to present two government-issued identification cards and fill up request forms under oath, then to wait for a few minutes for the requested SALN to be released after payment of photocopying fees.

Morales not hiding her SALN

In a statement issued late yesterday after The STAR was given a copy of Morales’ SALN, the Office of the Ombudsman announced that it has released copies of the same to media, including this newspaper and a television network.

When asked on Thursday during an official function, Morales said that there are regulations to be followed before a request for a copy of the SALN of a government official or employee is granted, such as the filing of a verified request form indicating the legitimate purpose for the request.

The PAB belied reports that the Office of the Ombudsman is refusing to disclose Morales’ SALN, stressing that since the new Ombudsman assumed office, it has not received any request for copies of her SALN.

“After evaluating the request forms filed yesterday by Philippine STAR reporter Michael Punongbayan and News5 news team member Dave Gonzales, the PAB approved the requests and made available the copies of the SALN to the requesters,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.