EDITORIAL – The thin line between the private and public life of an official

A local government official threatened to sue our reporter for reporting about his "private life", which was actually about the wrongdoings of a family member, who is also an employee of the same LGU. The official ranted that the paper is cashing in on his "private life." Now, what exactly is the "private" and "public" life of an elected official or any government employee for that matter?

The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and employees provides that public officials, whether elected or appointed shall "at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest."

Public officials should remember that by running and eventually winning a public position, he has given his life to his constituents and is therefore accountable, at all times, according to the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, to the very people who elected him to the post. An official's duty as a representative of the government in his area of jurisdiction does not stop when the government office closes at 5 PM. A governor does not stop being a governor after office hours, in the same way that a mayor does not stop being a mayor when the city or municipal hall closes.

If government officials and employees are accountable to the public at all times, then their actions during office hours, in the government building they are working at, is not at all a private matter. The actions become of public concern all the more when it has disrupted work at the government office and has disturbed other officials, employees and the public transacting business there.

All those in government, whether elected or appointed, should always remember that their constituents and the media are closely watching them, scrutinizing every move, every transaction They should behave at all times, and most especially when in full view of the public because they owe their positions to the electorate.

A very thin line divides a government official's public life from his or her private life because they are supposed to be accountable to the people at all times. If public officials do not want to be criticized for misbehaving, or if they do not want misbehaving family members publicized, then they should be very careful with how they and their families act in public.