Sen. Robin Padilla Asserts Support of ‘Public Office is a Public Trust’ Principle
ROBIN PADILLA – The actor-turned-Senator wrote a letter to the Senate Secretary giving permission for the full disclosure of his SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth).
Recently, the talks about the public officials’ disclosure of their SALN once again crossed the office with the latest move of the office of the Ombudsman. Newly-appointed Ombudsman Boying Remulla reopened the SALN of government officials to the public through a memorandum that reversed the order of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
With the recent order of the new Ombudsman, a consent from the public official involved is no longer a requirement. The requester just needs to present his/her her ID and prove his identity.
The Ombudsman is the repository of the SALNs of the president, the vice president, the local government officials, and the heads of the Constitutional Offices. In 2020, then-Ombudsman Samuel Martires issued a memo that restricted the public access to SALN by requiring the consent of the owner of the document for its disclosure.
Amid the recent move of the Ombudsman, Sen. Robin Padilla penned a letter to Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. Based on a report on GMA News, the Senator expressed a permission for the “full disclosure” of his SALN.
“Ako po ay sumusulat sa inyo upang ipahayag ang aking kusang-loob na pagbibigay ng waiver o pahintulot sa anumang aksyon o proseso kaugnay ng full disclosure ng aking Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) alinsunod sa umiiral na batas tulad ng Republic Act No. 1073 o Data Privacy Act, iba pang patakaran, at alituntunin ng pamahalaan,” the Senator wrote in his letter.
Sen. Robin Padilla stressed that he is one with the expression of full disclosure and honesty based on the principle that ‘Public office is a public trust’ stated in the Constitution. Furthermore, based on the report, he stressed that he understands the provisions of the Republic Act No. 6713 o Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
“Bilang isang lingkod-bayan, buong-puso kong isinusumite aking sarili sa pagsisiyasat ng sambayanan,” Padilla said.
Through a post on social media, the Senator denied that his move to release his SALN is allegedly to get public attention. He stressed that he leads the Senate committee on public information and the move is a “walk the talk” for him.
Aside from lifting the restrictions on the public access to SALNs, Ombudsman Remulla also previously claimed that he will revisit the Pharmally case that transpired during the Duterte administration.