UP cleared Sereno on SALN – spokesman

The camp of Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno yesterday said the University of the Philippines has attested that the chief magistrate fulfilled her responsibilities in filing her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) whike still a professor.

Carlo Cruz, one of Sereno’s spokespersons, said that the UP, where Sereno previously taught for 20 years at the College of Law, had cleared her of having any academic or administrative liabilities.

“CJ Sereno was given a Certificate of Clearance (dated Sept. 19, 2011) by the UP’s Human Resources Development Office, which affirmed that she has been cleared of all academic/administrative responsibilities. This would, of course, include the SALN requirements,” Cruz said.

The Sereno camp gave this answer after Lorenzo Gadon filed a criminal complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ) Friday afternoon against the Chief Justice for alleged violations of Republic Act no. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Republic Act no. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, when she allegedly failed to submit her SALN for 17 years when she was still a UP professor.

She was a UP College of Law professor from November 1986 until 2006, but Gadon said she only filed her SALN for three years, namely during the years 1998, 2002 and 2006.

But Cruz denied the allegations, adding that Gadon was obviously desperate since the impeachment complaint before the House of Representatives’ committee on justice is based on weak evidence.

“Offhand, it smacks of clear desperation on the part of the complaint in the impeachment proceeding. It is a clear acknowledgment on his part as to the utter weakness of his evidence in said proceeding,” said Cruz.

“Chief Justice Sereno has been accurately and properly filing her SALNs since she became a member of the Supreme Court in 2010 and as Chief Justice in 2012,” said Josa Deinla, another spokesperson of Sereno.