SALN disclosure up to lawmakers - Speaker

Manila, Philippines -  Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. maintained yesterday that releasing the statement of assets liabilities and net worth (SALN) to the public remains a personal decision of the individual lawmaker, including those in the opposition.

He said he is set to sign a directive creating a panel in the House of Representatives that would get the consensus of the members and submit a recommendation on the disclosure of their SALNs following calls from the public to do so.

However, the House leader said the SALN already has a waiver and the Office of the Ombudsman can easily look into it.

He added that the summary of each lawmaker’s SALN has already been published.

The lawmakers, however, are reluctant to bare their detailed SALN, arguing that it might be used against them by their political enemies.

“The House SALN is not as mysterious as anything because we have the parameters already, we know the assets, liabilities, net worth. Some of them may sound surprising to us, but that is what they declared,” Belmonte said.

Only about 20 lawmakers have bared their SALN to the public, including House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez.

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said the creation of the committee was suggested by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, who cited a provision of a law where the SALN was mentioned.

Belmonte said gathering consensus was fair, adding he would not pressure any lawmaker to make public his or her SALN.

He said the committee will be composed of five House members representing the political parties in the chamber. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino are its initial members.

He said he expects the work to be finished before the opening of the third regular session on July 23.

Belmonte noted that a few opposition lawmakers have said they are allowing their SALNs to be shown to the public.

When told that many are curious to see the SALNs of the Arroyos in the House, Belmonte said: “In the case of the former president, she’s free to call us up and say give my SALN out, she can do that especially that the opposition have said they are all in favor, they can start off by all of them releasing.”

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s two sons are also congressmen – Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo and Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo.

Her brother-in-law, Ignacio Arroyo, represented the fifth district of Negros Occidental until his death in January.