Questionable net worth
PRIVATE sector leaders who are asked to join the Cabinet or head a state-owned corporation usually decline the offer because
oath of the SALN or Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
It includes a waiver allowing the Ombudsman to secure documents from all government agencies for investigatory purposes.
Submission of the SALN is required every April 30 for all civil servants under the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Of-
Non- compliance or non- disclosure can lead to suspension, dismissal, or even forfeiture of unexplained wealth.
The fears of these business executives are not unfounded, considering that two chief justices of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona and Maria Lourdes Sereno, were ousted after SALN- related
In the executive branch, among those accused of allegedly misdeclaring their SALNs are former Vice President Jejomar Binay, former Commission on Elections chief Andres Bautista and retired Philippine National Police director general Alan Purisima.
So far, I have not come across a similar case in the Senate and in the House of Representatives except for one lodged with the Of- against Andaya, TJC alleged that the Camarines Sur Congressman failed to declare properties registered with the Land Registration Authority in his name or that of his wife and their business enterprise, and undervalued his
TJC zeroed in on Andaya’s 2016 and 2017 SALNs, which had exactly the same net worth of P45.65 million for both years along with the same list of assets and liabilities, even down to the notarial details, which the coalition found “highly suspicious.”
Cited as an example is the line item for cash in bank, which remained unchanged at P5 million for two consecutive years. Belgica said this was “grossly impossible” given that bank deposits earn interest income.
According to him, Andaya and his family had multiple foreign trips from 2015 to 2017 which they could not possibly afford based on the contents of the legislator’s SALNs.
Andaya countered that TJC’s complaint was an “expensive political hatchet job” launched by his opponents in the runup to the May 2019 elections. Now on his third and last term as Representative of CamSur’s