De Lima: “Sabi mo wala kang kinakatakutan. Bakit naduduwag ka sa paglabas ng SALN mo?”
Senator Leila de Lima reacted to the issuance of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net worth (SALN).
SALN is an annual document that all government workers in the Philippines, whether regular or temporary, must complete and submit attesting under oath to their total assets and liabilities, including businesses and financial interests, that make up their net worth.
Earlier, Malacanang announced through Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that they are leaving it to the Office of the Ombudsman whether to release Duterte’s SALN or not.
The issuance of Duterte’s SALN is currently making rounds online and among those who reacted is his avid critic, Senator Leila de Lima.
In a statement based on the report of TNT Abante, De Lima said that President Duterte seemed to be afraid to publicly disclose his SALN.
She said: “Ginagawa na naman tayong tanga ng mga ito. Mr. Duterte, how difficult is it to release your SALN to the public if you really want to and are sincere in adhering to your constitutional duty to be transparent and accountable to the people?”
De Lima is wondering if the president really needs the help of the Ombudsman to decide whether or not to disclose his SALN.
According to De Lima, if he has nothing to fear, he should not be afraid to release his SALN.
Previously, Vice President Leni Robredo challenged the president to release his SALN if he really wants to end corruption in the government.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman issued a memorandum in September 2020 that they would no longer grant access to SALN requests of government officials without the permission of the official they wish to obtain a copy of.
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