With bank deposits of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the spotlight, Sen. Grace Poe yesterday said she was ready to sign a waiver on the secrecy of her bank accounts. Administration presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II announced the same thing the previous day, with his running mate Leni Robredo following suit yesterday. Vice President Jejomar Binay has been daring his rivals to sign such a waiver since the second presidential debate in March. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who champions transparency and good governance, can be expected to go along.
Perhaps the Commission on Elections can seize the moment and institutionalize this kind of transparency at least among candidates seeking national office. If legislation is needed, members of the incoming Congress must not hesitate in passing such a law.
Public officials are already required by law to submit statements of assets, liabilities and net worth. The SALNs are expected to be accurate and truthful, on pain of dismissal from office and criminal prosecution for lying. It’s just a small step from declaring assets to providing more details through the opening of bank deposits.
The waiver of secrecy rules should also allow banks to show the history of transactions of the depositor, in case bank accounts are cleaned out before being bared to the public.
Since vice presidents automatically succeed in case the president dies or is incapacitated, the same requirement must be applied for those aspiring for the nation’s second highest post. As of yesterday, the Liberal Party’s Leni Robredo was leading the way, announcing she was waiving secrecy laws on her bank deposits.
In the wake of the scandal over the misuse of the congressional pork barrel, the Comelec should also consider including candidates for the Senate in the bank waiver requirement. In this campaign, everyone is mouthing platitudes about commitment to transparency and good governance. Those who win on May 9 must show that their commitment can go beyond campaign rhetoric.