Roxas seeks Senate probe on stricter SALN access

Senator Mar Roxas today sought a Senate inquiry into new restrictions imposed by the Ombudsman on public access to a public document that reveals the net worth and properties of all public officials and employees amid ongoing media investigation of the alleged inexplicable ballooning wealth of President Arroyo and her family.

Roxas filed Senate Resolution No. 1374, asking the appropriate Senate committee to look into the validity and legality of the Office of the Ombudsman Memorandum Circular No. 01, series of 2009, or the Revised Guidelines Governing Access to Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth or SALNs filed with the Ombudsman.

He said the new Ombudsman rules requires those who want access to SALNs to fill up forms and need to swear under oath from fiscals or public prosecutors the purpose or purposes they have in accessing those documents.

These new guidelines issued by the Ombudsman “obstruct rather than reinforce constitutional mandates of transparency and accountability in public service as well as undermine constitutional rights of access to information by the people,” Roxas insisted.

As author of the proposed Free Information Act that is still pending approval in both chambers of Congress, Roxas pointed out that the Constitution compels all public officers and employees to submit a declaration under oath of their assets, liabilities and net worth upon their assumptions to office, which shall be disclosed to the public.

The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) also requires public officials to “prepare and file a true, detailed and sworn statement of assets and liabilities” while the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713) “reinforces the public’s constitutionally protected right to information and access to public documents by providing that the (SALNs) of public officials shall be made available for inspection at reasonable hours and copying or reduction.”

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez issued the new guidelines on June 16 this year, amidst calls for an investigation into the alleged unexplained wealth of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family.

At the time the new guidelines came out, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) was doing a research on and conducting an examination of the SALN of President Arroyo, which it noted had allegedly grown significantly based on her 2008 SALN. The report also said Mrs. Arroyo got rich faster than the three presidents before her.

"The motivation and timing of the release of the Ombudsman Memorandum Circular is questionable, coming at a time when the SALNs of the President and her immediate family were under intense public inspection," the Visayan senator said.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 | posted in free information act, mar roxas, merceditas gutierrez, ombudsman, pgma, president, saln | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: JPEPA experience highlights need for gov't reforms

Senator Mar Roxas, Liberal Party President, said the harrowing experience in having the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) passed underscores the people’s distrust of government, and consequently, the need for reforms in state institutions.

“I think a lot of the mistrust associated with JPEPA began not as a result of the actual provisions of the treaty, but the secretive manner in which the government went about with it,” said Roxas, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and co-chair of the JPEPA joint panel. 

He noted the Supreme Court case filed three years where executive privilege was cited to prevent the disclosure of information on JPEPA. Although the government was cleared by the high court, Roxas said this lack of open communication between stakeholders fostered ill will.

“The government must shift from this policy of ‘minimum disclosure’ that the government seems to have adopted in all its dealings, from the NBN-ZTE project to the GRP-MILF agreement on the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, and others,” he said.

 The Senator maintained that although the JPEPA would not benefit Filipinos much, it would be far more harmful to not pass it and be left behind by other ASEAN countries trading with Japan.

“Some say we could have gotten more. Others claim, we gave up too much. Let me be candid. I too feel that we could have negotiated better. We could have gotten more,” he said.

“The choice before us is not the present JPEPA versus another better JPEPA that we can pick and choose from. The choice before us is the present JPEPA versus no JPEPA and an uncertain future as to when it could be renegotiated again and what terms we could actually obtain at that future time,” he added.

In order to address environmental concerns raised by some groups, Roxas has called on the executive to transmit to the Senate the Basel Ban Amendment, which would widen the coverage of hazardous substances banned for export, to include items for recycling. “It’s about time that the Senate reviews and consults with stakeholders on the need to ratify the amendment to the Basel Ban Convention. The important thing is to get started with the discussions,” he said.

He has also filed a bill to increase the penalties for violation of Republic Act No. 6969, the Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.

Roxas said a way to encourage transparency and accountability in government is his proposed Free Information Act, Senate Bill No. 109. A counterpart bill has already been passed in the House of Representatives, sponsored by fellow Liberal Erin Tañada of Quezon. The measure would require government offices to respond to all requests for public information within two days, unless this would place at risk national security, diplomatic relations or the peace and order situation.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 | posted in asean, bangsamoro juridical entity, erin tañada, free information act, japan, jpepa, mar roxas, milf, pgma, philippines, quezon, supreme court | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Free Info Act to empower people to verify SONA claims

Senator Mar Roxas yesterday said Congress should immediately work for the passage of the proposed Free Information Act, as this would empower the people to verify the claims and check on the “hits and misses” of the President’s past and present State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs).

This, as he urged the President to deliver a “believable and bankable” SONA this Monday that is attuned to the realities being faced by Filipinos today.

“A recent survey shows most of our people consider the SONAs since 2005 as far from the truth, or irrelevant to their lives. This is her chance to assure our people that a concrete short-term and long-term plan is in place to promote food sufficiency and job security amid soaring oil and food prices,” he said.

Roxas said the people’s constitutional right to information has been stonewalled by the executive branch’s use of executive privilege.

“We need to empower the people to check the SONAs against reality and to audit promises made against actual deliveries, by giving them free access to information regarding government affairs except those related to national security and foreign policy,” he said, adding that the bill’s passage is a good deterrent to future SONA fairy tales.

The Liberal Party President had proposed Senate Bill No. 109, the proposed Free Information Act, at the start of the 14th Congress. The bill is still pending with the Senate Committees on Public Information and Mass Media, and on Civil Service and Government Reorganization. On the other hand, the House of Representatives’ counterpart bill has already been approved on 3rd reading. One of its main proponents is Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, a fellow Liberal.

It seeks to require government offices to answer all queries for information within two days, under pain of stiff penalties, unless sufficient justification is given. An office may only refuse to provide information when this would jeopardize the privacy of individuals, national security, public order, foreign diplomatic and economic relations, and trade secrets of private entities.

To compel disclosure of information in case a government body refuses on whatever grounds, the bill mandates the Office of the Ombudsman to hear any complaints of not being properly assisted by the pertinent government body.

The bill also mandates all government offices to publicize and regularly update—via print and electronic means—information on the mandate, powers, functions, organizational structure, processes, and other information on governance. Also, any information about the existence of a risk of significant harm to the health and safety of the public or that clearly affects public interest must be disclosed immediately.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 | posted in erin tañada, free information act, mar roxas, ombudsman, pgma, philippines, president, sona | 0 comments [ More ]