Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Cong. Teddy Casiño bares SALN; Will all the rest please follow

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By Raïssa E. Robles

Congressman Tedoro Casiño personally released this morning his own Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) without waiting for anyone to ask him.

I’m glad he did. I hope he starts the ball rolling with the rest of the congressmen and senators. And those in the Executive Department. The Judiciary. The police and military top brass.

Oops, I nearly forgot. Also the top officials of the COA, Comelec and Ombudsman Office.

Here is Casiño’s two-page SALN below:

Casino-Teodoro-2011-Sworn-s

Casino,-Teodoro-Sworn-state

I remember asking House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte just after he had assumed his post in 2010 whether Congress could automatically post the SALN of all the lawmakers on its website together with a detailed listing of their “pork barrel” projects.

Belmonte, widower of my late editor Betty Go-Belmonte, told me that would be “difficult”.

I laud Casiño for making his SALN public.

But I would like all lawmakers including Casino, in the spirit of transparency and accountability, to make their SALN more VERIFIABLE.

This goes the same for officials in the Executive Department, the Judiciary, and even the military.

Having examined SALNs throughout my career as a reporter, I have noticed that except for the disclosure of the names of private companies with which a public official is connected, almost everything else in the SALN is OPAQUE.

For instance, when they mention ownership of agricultural, commercial or residential land or houses, I do believe they should give the address and, if a condo unit, the name of the building.

In addition, lawmakers should also detail their corporate stocks whenever they own these, so that their voting or statements affecting corporations can be compared to their portfolios.

The point of a SALN is to discourage those in government from being tempted to acquire ill-gotten wealth.

Previous Supreme Court decisions have already established that if an asset is not in the SALN, then that can already be considered ill-gotten.

Some lawmakers have in the past told me that restricting access to SALNs was meant to protect government officials from blackmail, kidnapping, or extortion.

I’m sure lawmakers can deal with this sort of thing, given their political clout.

All lawmakers, all Supreme Court Justices, the President and his entire Cabinet, the Vice-President, and the police and military top brass should all disclose their SALN online. If they have nothing to hide, what would be wrong with that? OK, they can block off the address of their main house of residence, but everything else – especially real property investments should be disclosed.

The rest of the government officials could be made to disclose their SALN using an easy process open to all legitimate anti-corruption watchdog groups and journalists whether traditional or online. To make the process even easier, requests and releases could be done online, so long as the requesting party’s identity has been verified.

I don’t even mind if the government charges for this using PAYPAL or some other way of charging. I mean, this would be easier than traveling in person to Congress or all those offices. I remember that when I obtained the SALN of various senators, the xerox charge per page was higher than usual.

Am I dreaming?

Yes.

But let me share with you something I’ve just learned.

Early last year I kept seeing on FAcebook this demand: “Impeach the Supreme Court Chief Justice…”

They must be dreaming, I thought.

I wasn’t wrong. Because they kept dreaming they could do it and they did something about it, it came to pass. Today the Chief Justice has been impeached and this Monday he will stand trial.

So let me go on dreaming about this and many many more things about our country :)

Comments

  1. Chief Justice Renato C. Corona has just been expelled or removed from office. He was found to be guilty of Article II of the Impeachment Articles. As a justiciable lesson, all SALNs of Justices and Judges of the Judicial Branch are to be released, so ordered by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

    The Armed Forces of the Philippines must be next to toe the line of disclosing their high ranking Officers’ SALNs.

    SC approves release of SALN of justices, judges

    By Tetch Torres
    INQUIRER.net
    4:01 pm | Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

    MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court on Wednesday approved the release in full of the 2011 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of all justices and judges around the country.

    Acting high court spokesperson lawyer Gleo Guerra said the high court shall formulate a guideline on the release of the SALN, which will be taken up in its special en banc session on June 13.

    “The release of the SALN was a collective decision of the court,” Guerra said.

    The country has about 2,000 justices and judges.

    The special en banc session was called by acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio. Only Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin are absent during the special en banc session. Guerra said both are in Baguio for a lecture.

    Guerra explained that the high court’s decision in effect overruled the 1989 ruling in the Alejandrino case where the high court unanimously voted to deny the request for SALN, which are directly or indirectly traced to a litigant, lawyer or any party with a pending case before the court.

    The 1989 ruling stated that there has to be a “legitimate reason” for such a request as well as good faith and not fish for information that can be used to influence a court’s decision.

    The 1989 ruling of the high court was reiterated in 1992, when in a resolution the high court said the disclosure of SALNs not only of high court justices but justices from the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, lower court judges and court personnel have been restricted to shield them from acts that may “endanger, diminish or destroy their independence and objectivity in the performance of their judicial functions.”

    “In effect [overruling the Alejandrino case] is the net effect,” Guerra said but clarified that it is a disclosure of SALN but not a waiver.

    Chief Justice Renato Corona signed an unconditional waiver allowing the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to look into his bank accounts and business interest.

    Corona’s act has been hailed as a good start to show transparency in the government with some members of Congress and Senator Francis Escudero signing similar waiver and challenged the other government officials to do the same.

    Corona, however, has been removed from office after he admitted that he did not include in his SALN his $2.4 million deposit into 4 bank accounts and P80 million deposit in three bank accounts.

  2. Alin column ba ang dapat gamitin pang compute ng net worth? Ang pagkakaalam ko (graduate po ako ng accounting sa States) yon fair market value as of reporting date. Fair market value is defined as a value a willing seller will sell to a willing buyer. For example, if CJ bought his Bellagio condo for P14.5M and assessed for P6.5M by city of Taguig and someone is willing to buy same condo for P30M on Dec 31, 2010 his networth is P30M less any liabilities. In this case it is P30M.

    • Someone should enlighten us here perhaps. Tatlo po yong values na dapat i-fill up (assessed value, current fair market value, and acquisition cost) – so does that mean na 3 ang net worth ng isang government employee? naguguluhan din po ako.

      • Hindi. Importante yung acquisition value. Fixed yun kasi yun ang perang pinambili. Acquisition minus liability equals net. Kung installment yung lupa me liability. Kung walag installment saan kuuha pang cash kung halaga is 10 M. Tingnan ngayunyung previous SALN kung me savings siya o property na binenta.

        Yung fair market at assessed values, arbitrary nubers yun. Bale wala yun.
        Kaya lang importante yun para kumpara kung nagsinungalingang nag file sa acquisition cost.

        Kunwari yr 2011 Assessed value is 10 million, sabi ng filer biniilaang niya ng 1 million 2011. Parang di kapaniwala diba.Pero kung binili nung 1990 1 million at 10 million assessed ngayun bale wala parin hanggat hindi pinagbili ng filer ng 10 M . Ganun me profit siya 9 M at asset yun.

        • Therefore, determination of the networth should be whichever is higher of the acquisition and the assessed value. But typically, FMV is multiple of assessed value.

          Applying it to stocks which appreciated over time but you have not sold it, what would define current networth? Di ba it should be stock price at time of reporting?

          Properties, mutual funds and stocks are no different I think. The only problem with real property is in the valuation. Why not index the value to something like the property index of PSEI as standard for SALNs. Not accurate but close to reality.

      • Ang gagamitin po ay REQUISITION COST. Nasa SALN form po yon. Ewan ba tatlo-tallo pang columns ang pinagagamit. Meron naman instructions kung ano ang ilalagay at ano ang gagamitin pang compute ng NETWORTH. Ang batas ay RA6713. Google ninyo po.

  3. The SALN is a BIG JOKE and a SCAM. Many government officials put their properties under the name of their servants, mistresses, friends, very distant relatives, hehehe

    Huwag tayong masyadong obsessed sa SALN – it does not reflect the true and honest net worth of our government officials. They will always find ways to conceal what they steal.

    Lifestyle checking is the best way to find out if they are not stealing.

      • I think the common tao mas naniwala po sa media expose re Erap’s mansions dahil nakikita nila and alam nila na marami siyang mistresses and children and they live luxuriously even if hindi naka-declare sa SALN niya at hindi nakapangalan sa kanya… yong truthfulness ng bank account expose remains unproven to this day.

        Lifestyle checking should be done po sana – perhaps you can devote your time on this to expose our corrupt officials – I believe many of your followers can contribute what they know. We can then help get rid of these thieves in our own small way. Sabay-sabayin na natin sila – every day madami pong pera ang ninanakaw sa kaban ng gobyerno.

    • Kung sasadyain mo bang maliin ang SALN wala ngang saysay ito. Ginawa ang SALN para malaman kung hindi nagnanakaw ang gumagawa nito. Sinusumpaan yan na totoo ang nakasulat doon.

      • Every flag raising day, millions of Filipinos swear allegiance to the flag and country – yet many do the opposite after the ceremony. Our lawmakers should formulate a better and more fool-proof method of attesting to the culpability of our government officials… huwag lang SALN… In auditing, mahirap mag-audit kung walang audit trail (hindi nakalista). Let’s examine the lifestyles of government officials – how many trips do they make abroad, how many mistresses and illegitimate children do they have, how do these mistresses and children live, what businesses and properties do they own? Let’s start with our most familiar government officials like mayors, congressmen, and governors.

        • Kung fixed assets and liabilities madali. Arbitrary mahirap. Yung SALN is good kung honest yung nagsulat at yung namamahala honest din at dimanda yung nagkasala, Kapag dishonest nakita sila dimanda kaagad para di pamarisan kagaya ni Corona.

          Kung ilagay ng govt official binili niya sa ibang tao kung namatay siya baka mahirap siyang maghabol. Kagaya ni Marcos nilagay kay Cojuangco yung PLDT nung binenta ni Cojuangco di sila makahabol.

          Dapat yung SALN meron instructions sa likod na madaling maintindihan isulat .

        • Arbitrary nubers ang assessed and market values kahit anong number pwedeng isulat dun. Magiging importante lang kung pinagbili kasi pag parating mababa nilagay nung ibinenta biglang tumaas, mas mataas pa sa acquisition value, paano nagkaganun.

          Important acquisition values sa umpisa pa lang ng bili dahil sa net worth at amount. Dun makita kung sapat. Sa sweldo ang pinambili. Yung assessed at market value walang relasyun sa salary ng empleyado.

        • Sa RA6713 tatlong columns yon property values. Column 1- Assessed value; Column 2- Fair market value at Column 3- Requisition cost. Doon sa batas na yon ang dapat gamitin para malaman ang net worth yon Column 3. Si Corona kasi ginamit niya ang Column 2. Sa pagkakaalam ko ang Column 2 ay yon value na kinumpute ng Taguig Assessor Office na ang multiplier o schedule noon pang 2002. Kaya lumalabas lang ng P6.5M ang Bellagio condo. Dapat alam ni Corona na ang gagamitin niya ay requisition cost dahil doon sa RA6713 nakalagay na malinaw na malinaw na ang gagamitin ay requisition cost. Si Corona naging professor pa naman at meron MBA sa Harvard at corporate lawyer pa sa SGV, dapat alam niya.

        • Doon sa RA6713, nakalagay na ang gagamitin sa SALN ay REQUISITION COST para ma-compute ang NET WORTH. Naroroon mismo sa form. Hindi ko lang maintindihan kung bakit tatlo-tatlo pa ang columns para sa property values kung isa lang naman pala ang gagamitin. Overkill eh.

  4. Current fair market value is the price that would be agreed to by a willing and informed seller and buyer

    Ang mura naman ng agri land ni Cong Casino, TEN PESOS PER SQUARE METER, totoo po ba ito, bilhin ko kaya hehehe

    1 hectare = 10,000 square meters
    If 250,000 pesos is the current fair market value of the 2.5 hectares, then it’s only ten pesos per sq meter

    Wala na po akong makita sa classified ads na ganito kamura

      • The law on SALN should probably be repealed – that if filer intends to sell his property, he should fill up the current fair market value portion of his saln so people have the chance to buy back what these corrupt government officials stole from the people.

        • Hindi dapat yan i-repeal. I-revise na lang. Tanggaling na ang Assessed Value at Fair Market Value. Ang itira na lang ang Requisition cost. Para wala ng palusot ang gumagawa niyan.

  5. Additional requirements by April 30 initiated by the CSC that would take effect this year.

    Lawmakers unhappy over new SALN requirements

    MANILA, Philippines—Lawmakers are grumbling about requiring civil servants to declare their other sources of income, income tax paid, and family and personal expenses in their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) that they are required to file on April 30.

    Under the guidelines of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), all government employees must provide additional information about their finances in the new SALN form.

    Surigao del Norte Representative Philip Pichay led several lawmakers at a committee hearing Wednesday to voice their apprehensions over SALN reforms initiated by the CSC that would take effect this year.

    “The SALN law did not include the amount and sources of gross income amount of personal and family expenses, and then the amount of income tax paid. This is unconstitutional,” said Pichay.

    The lawmaker is the younger brother of Prospero Pichay, former head of Local Water Utilities Administration who was slapped with tax evasion charges after failing to file his income tax return in 2009 when he acquired a thrift bank and saw his net worth rise by P60 million.

    Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said that if the government would insist on the SALN reforms, the opposition would seek a temporary restraining order from a court.

    Lawmakers made similar complaints at the ways and means committee hearing on Tuesday. They claimed that the inclusion of “passive income,” which has been subjected to a final tax such as interest income from bank deposits and cash dividends, and capital gains taxes on property sales, would violate the Bank Secrecy Law, according to Pichay.

    He said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima had already deleted the declaration of these items in a supplemental page of the income tax return “and he was surprised why this was revived by the CSC.”

    Source: Gil C. Cabacungan, Philippine Daily Inquirer
    3:28 am | Thursday, February 16th, 2012

    • Alam na alam ko na kung sino-sino ang mag rereklamo sa bagong SALN. Kung sabagay masyadong detail ang hinihingi. Dapat simple lang para mas mataas ang compliance. Suggestion ng ilang kongresman ang requisition cost na lang ang itira sa property value at tanggalin na ang assessed at fair market value sa SALN.

  6. If all the columns should be filled including Assessed Value, Fair Market Value and Acquisition Cost, then all government officials and employees should be charged because all of them do not fill these columns. Same with Rep. Casino.

  7. When I was working in Civil Service Commission, a government agency in the Philippines, I regularly filed my SALNs. It was really embarrassing for me because it is always in the negative. There are many government employees just like me. But the people look at government employees are dirty, corrupt and thieves. I left the government service broke and nothing in my pocket.