Gov’t offices warned vs failure to implement new SALN filing rules

MANILA, Philippines - Government offices will face penalties if they fail to implement the new rules governing the filing of correct statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).

Chairman Francisco Duque III of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said government agencies must start forming review and compliance committees to ensure the rules are followed to the letter.

“No token compliance. Public servants are expected to exercise utmost sincerity and consciousness when filing the SALNs,” he said. “The public builds its trust and confidence upon people who perform well and live up to their expectation. And disclosing our assets and liabilities is one measure of adherence to transparency and accountability.”

Under Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, the head of office has the ministerial duty to issue a compliance order to require those with incomplete data in their SALN to correct and supply the desired information, and those who did not file/submit their SALNs to comply within a non-extendible period of 30 days from receipt of the order.

The CSC has issued Resolution 1300174, or the Amendment to the Review and Compliance Procedure in the Filing and Submission of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth and Disclosure of Business Interests and Financial Connections to give heads of offices five days from receipt of the list and recommendation of the SALN review and compliance committee to issue the Compliance Order.

Duque and representatives of other government agencies like the Office of the President and the Office of the Ombudsman came out with new and stricter SALN guidelines last week.

Under the new rules, government officials and employees no longer need to declare how much they are earning monthly or on an annual basis.

 In the old SALN form, government officials and employees indicate their monthly or annual salaries in the upper right portion of the first page of the document.

In the new SALN form, no space for such declaration has been provided.

“There was no legal basis for it,” Duque told The STAR.

Government officials and employees will start using the new SALN form in declaring their net worth as of Dec. 31, 2012.

It should be filed in the appropriate office on or before April 30 this year.

In 2011, Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes declared an annual income of more than P1.634 million.

He had a net worth of P31.525 million.

His declared salary was higher than that of President Aquino who said he earns a little over P1.212 million a year.

Vice President Jejomar Binay said he receives P1.151 million annually as the nation’s second highest official.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales did not declare her monthly or yearly salary, while Commission on Audit chairperson Maria Grace Pulido Tan declared hers at P956,748 annually.