FOI bill requires SC justices to disclose SALNs

MANILA, Philippines - The House version of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill requires Supreme Court (SC) justices to disclose their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), one of the authors of the measure said yesterday.

“The bill requires officials, including the President, Vice President, SC justices and members of Congress, to post their SALNs in the websites of their offices,” Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez told a news conference.

Gutierrez said justices have to comply with the measure, if it becomes a law, despite issuing a resolution keeping their wealth declarations secret to prevent them and members of their families from falling prey to kidnap gangs.

“They have to comply because a law is higher than a resolution of the court,” he said.

He said non-compliance would mean violation of the law and the Constitution, “which provides for the disclosure of SALNs and which we are trying to implement.”

“Last time I checked, violation of the law and the Constitution is an impeachable offense,” he added.

Gutierrez pointed out that posting of SALNs on the websites of the concerned offices is an accountability and transparency measure.

He noted that former chief justice Renato Corona was ousted by the Senate impeachment court for allegedly failing to declare some of his assets in his SALN.

The SC has consistently refused to release the SALN of any of its members. However, it releases a summary of their assets, liabilities and net worth declarations.

Based on the SC’s summary for 2013, Mariano del Castillo remained the richest member of the court, with a net worth of P122.2 million, up by P11.5 million from his 2012 declaration.

Antonio Carpio was the second richest with P84.3 million in net worth, which was about P400,000 more than the P83.9 he declared in 2012.

Marvic Leonen was the poorest, with a net worth of P1.8 million, slightly up from his P1.7 million in 2012.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s net worth grew by less than P1 million from P18.1 million in 2012 to P19 million last year.

Bienvenido Reyes had P78.3 million in net worth, higher by P1.8 million than his P76.5 million in 2012.

The other justices and their net worth were Estela Perlas-Bernabe, P74.6 million; Roberto Abad, who retired from the judiciary on May 22, 2013, P47.3 million; Diosdado Peralta, P32.4 million; Jose Mendoza, P31.6 million; Lucas Bersamin, P27.8 million; Martin Villarama Jr., P24.1 million; Arturo Brion, P16.6 million; Jose Perez, P13.6 million; Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, P10.4 million, and Presbitero Velasco Jr., P10.4 million.

In terms of salaries, allowances and other incentives, Velasco was the highest paid in 2013. He received a total of P5.7 million from the SC, House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), which he chairs, and Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), which is the SC itself, according to a Commission on Audit report.

The other justices and the amount of total compensation they received last year were Bersamin (another HRET member), P5.520 million; Peralta (also a HRET member), P5.357 million; Carpio, who chairs the Senate Electoral Tribunal, P5.297; De Castro (another SET member), P4.920 million; Brion (the third SET justice-member), P4.813 million; Sereno, P4.211 million; Abad, P3.538 million; Leonen, P3.789 million; Del Castillo, P3.9 million; Villarama, P4.005 million; Reyes took home P3.906 million; Mendoza, P3.945 million; Bernabe, P3.872 million, and Perez, P3.854 million.