OMBUDSMAN Samuel Martires on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, said he stopped the conduct of lifestyle checks on government officials and restricted access to the statement of assets and liabilities (SALN) because this is only being used by political rivals to defame each other.
"Sa ekspiryensiya po ng Ombudsman, na-weaponize po ang SALN. Ginamit po ito na means para siraan ang isang tao, isang kalaban sa pulitika," Martires told the House appropriations panel Tuesday.
He said he wanted to amend the process of lifestyle checking, saying that wealth does not necessarily translate to graft and corruption.
"Bakit ko pinatigil? What is living beyond your means? Iyong kumikita ng P50,000 a month, lives in a small house, nakaipon, bumili ng BMW na promo, zero interest, kayang-kaya niya hulugan. Is he living beyond his means? I don’t think so. What he has are distorted values and distorted priorities,” he said.
“We have to redefine what is living beyond your means. What is simple living to me may not be simple living to you or anyone, " the official added.
Martires said he wants to propose an amendment to Republic Act no. 6713 or the law on Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public officials, which states that “public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income."
"Gusto ko i-propose sa Congress ng amendments sa 6713 kasi yung provisions there, malabo, walang hulog sa logic,” Martires said.
In 2018, Martires' SALN showed that his assets grew by P15 million during his first five months as the Ombudsman.
His net worth jumped to P57 million by December 2018 from P41.72 million before his appointment as Ombudsman.
No reason for the increase was stated as Martires was able to provide only the summary of his 2018 SALN. (SunStar Philippines)