EDITORIAL - Public disclosure

Hours after saying he would not make public his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth if it will be used by his political opponents, presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shifted gears last Monday and said he would be “perfectly willing” to release his SALN if he wins.

Unresolved questions about his family’s enormous wealth continue to hound Marcos, so it was unsurprising that the SALN controversy has been revived in the course of his campaign for the nation’s highest office. He initially cited the ouster of Renato Corona as chief justice as an example of the use of the SALN issue for political purposes.

Corona, however, was found guilty of lying in his SALN based on his own admission about his undeclared dollar accounts, before an impeachment court presided over by the Senate president at the time, Juan Ponce Enrile, who is a Marcos ally and opponent of then president Noynoy Aquino.

Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, requires the filing of the SALN within 30 days upon assumption of office, and every year thereafter. The law, which stresses that public office is a public trust, states that “the public has the right to know” the “assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interests” of government officials and employees “including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households.”

The public disclosure can sometimes be a farce, with the help of topnotch accountants. In previous Congresses, Marcos’ mother Imelda had emerged as the poorest member of the House of Representatives, based on her SALN.

Still, in the interest of public accountability, transparency and good governance, the nation’s highest officials should release their SALNs to the public, even without mass media invoking freedom of information and seeking the public disclosure. It’s called leadership by example, and the public should remember the persons showing this quality as they apply for high office.