EDITORIAL - Under lock and key

The Civil Service Commission has reminded all government officials and employees of the April 30 deadline to submit their sworn Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for 2023. In emphasizing the importance of submitting SALNs, CSC Chairman Karlo Nograles said, “As civil servants, it is our duty to complete this task truthfully to promote transparency and uphold the public’s trust in both us and the bureaucracy.”

Transparency, unfortunately, takes a back seat in one of the agencies that is supposed to promote good governance. The Office of the Ombudsman under Samuel Martires has effectively stopped the long-standing practice of making available to the public the SALNs of top public officials. Since Martires’ appointment during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the SALNs of the president, the vice president and members of Congress, which used to be routinely released to the press, can be obtained only under conditions at par with those for state secrets.

Martires is a former member of the Supreme Court, where SALN discrepancies contributed to the ouster of two chief justices. The SC is now leading by example along with the ombudsman in keeping SALNs away from nosy journalists and the public.

The CSC, in its reminder to “all government workers, whether regular or under temporary status” to file their SALNs, cited the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Section 8 of RA 6713 states that public officials and employees “have an obligation” to submit the SALNs, “and the public has the right to know…”

Section 8 also allows journalists access to the SALNs. The provision on “prohibited acts” declares that it “shall be unlawful for any person to obtain or use” the SALN under two circumstances. One is for “any purpose contrary to morals or public policy.” The second prohibition covers “any commercial purpose other than by news and communications media for dissemination to the general public.”

And yet the SALNs of the nation’s top officials are now withheld from “news and communications media for dissemination to the general public,” unless there is consent from the officials concerned. Only a handful of officials, such as Leni Robredo when she was the vice president, continued to make their SALNs public after the ombudsman kept the statements under lock and key. Where is the promotion of transparency?