MALACAÑANG on Tuesday pledged to avoid redaction in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth (SALN) of Cabinet officials unless it involves "sensitive information" that needs to be protected.
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the public could expect that Cabinet officials appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte would no longer redact details concerning their assets, liabilities, and networth in the next release of their respective SALNs.
"If you check again [the SALNs of Duterte's Cabinet], they will give you the full [information]," Abella told a press conference.
National Privacy Commission (NPC) Deputy Commissioner Ivy Patdu told the same press conference that only "sensitive information," which might jeopardize not only the lives of public officials but also their respective families, could not be disclosed in the SALN.
Patdu lectured that information related to government officials’ wealth should not be redacted as it would not pose any security risk.
She said that under Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees or Republic Act 6713, it was clear that assets, liabilities and networth "should be disclosed without redactions."
She added that the same law provides that information "that would put the life and safety of an individual to a danger or an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy" is the only exempt from disclosure in SALN.
"Assets, liabilities, and networth, even if you look at these through the Data Privacy Act – these are not sensitive personal information. Therefore, there is no restriction, hindrance. There's no need to redact this information," she said.
"It is only when disclosing certain sensitive information, perhaps, that you should weigh it against the interests of privacy, especially if the privacy concerns are no longer limited to the government official but involves his family, who is not public service or involves children," Patdu added.
Cabinet members under Duterte's leadership have faced criticism following revelations that they have made "intense" redaction in their respective SALNs.
According to a report by Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published on September 22, a total of 167 redacted details were recorded in the 2016 SALNs of around 29 Cabinet officials.
The PCIJ noted that Duterte's Cabinet specifically redacted real and personal properties, asset values, business interests, and liabilities in their SALNs filed in December 2016 or earlier this year.
The report found that 28 Cabinet members censored acquisition costs of personal properties; 24 redacted the exact locations of their real properties; and 23 blacked out the acquisition costs of real properties.
Patdu stressed that such information earlier deleted in Cabinet SALNs should be made available to the public.
"If you look at the SALN form, assets, liabilities, networth – these are not sensitive information; these are information required by law to be produced," she said. "They should be open to the public and they should be included in the SALN."
Abella said Cabinet members would heed the advice of the NPC official not to redact information about their wealth.
"Will the Palace follow that? Apparently, yes, except the names [or] those items that were pointed out earlier that cannot be included," he said.
Communications Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan said a technical working group from the Civil Service Commission would convene a meeting in October in a bid to review the guidelines in filling out the SALN following the questionable redaction.
Ablan said the group was also expected to tackle the revision of the SALN form, which would determine if excluding the names of minor children is necessary. (SunStar Philippines)