‘SC justices not exempting themselves from SALN requirement’

MANILA, Philippines - The justices of the Supreme Court (SC) were not exempting themselves from the rule on disclosure of assets and liabilities when it rejected the request of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to submit copies of their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).              

SC spokesman Theodore Te rebutted the reported insinuation of BIR Commissioner Kim Henares that the magistrates could be “hiding something” in denying her request for their SALNs covering the years 2003 to 2012.   

“Please note the SC never said they are exempted from the SALN requirement nor are they creating a new rule for themselves,” Te said in a statement released yesterday.  Henares questioned the SC decision denying her request “for lack of sufficient basis.”

She said her action had nothing to do with a recent SC ruling declaring acts under President Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program illegal.    

“I feel we have an accountability somewhere, somehow. They don’t have an unfettered authority. What is that, dictatorship?” Henares said in radio interview yesterday.

Te said the high court’s denial of the BIR chief’s request “must be contextualized” as it was “based on the reasons she has given in her request.” 

In her request last February, Henares said she intends to use the SALNs “for tax investigation purposes” and “in relation to the ‘Ma’am Arlene’ controversy in the judiciary.”      

The SC has concluded their investigation on the issue involving alleged influence peddling in the Court of Appeals and trial courts by a certain “Ma’am Arlene” and none of the high court’s magistrates have been implicated.            

Henares said the planned tax probe on justices was an offshoot of the ouster of former chief justice Renato Corona due to undeclared assets in his SALN.

She said she would file another request with the SC and nothing would stop her from doing so.

“I will keep on asking. They should provide copies especially if another government agency requests for it,” she said.                 

The BIR chief said the law does not exempt anyone, and members of the judiciary should set an example to other public servants. – With Zinnia dela Peña