Palace creates SALN review committee

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has created committees that will receive and review the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and disclosure of business interests and financial connections (DBIFC) submitted by the officials and personnel of the Office of the President (OP).

Memorandum Order No. 13 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin last May 3 constituted the review and compliance committees in the OP Proper in accordance with existing laws and government issuances requiring agencies to come up with procedures that would determine whether the documents were filed and accomplished properly.

For officials in the OP Proper who were appointed by the President, their documents will be evaluated by a review and compliance committee led by the undersecretary of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) and composed of two assistant secretaries of the OES.

For officials and personnel in the OP Proper who are non-presidential appointees, their submissions will be assessed by a committee led by the deputy executive secretary for internal audit and composed of the assistant executive secretary of the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Internal Audit (ODESIA) and the director of the ODESIA.

The committees will facilitate the review and compliance procedures in the filing of SALNs and DBIFCs submitted by OP officials and personnel; evaluate if the documents have been submitted on time, complete and in proper form and notify officials or personnel who have incomplete or apparent erroneous data in their submissions so they can correct or supply the desired information.

The review and compliance committees are also expected to prepare an alphabetical list of officials or personnel who filed their SALN and DBIFC with complete data, those with incomplete data and those who did not submit the documents and submit them to the Executive Secretary on or before May 15 of every year.

They will also submit copies of the list to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees requires government workers to accomplish and file under oath their SALN and DBIFC, including those of their spouses and unmarried children under 18 years old living in their households.

Under its implementing rules, certain officials of the executive, legislative and judicial departments, as well as constitutional commissions and offices, are authorized to establish compliance procedures for the review of SALNs to determine if they have been properly accomplished and files.

CSC Resolution No. 1300455, meanwhile, required each office to have a review and compliance committee composed of a chairperson and two members.