Seeking transparency from candidates

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

Making candidates or politicians live up to expectations and their promises of not committing graft and corruption and living a clean life maybe a shot to the moon, but then, maybe, some things could be done to attain these objectives.

For one, voters could demand that political candidates execute an unconditional waiver of secrecy of bank deposits.

This, according to Sen. Chiz Escudero, would help voters form informed decisions on election day.

“Plunderers have no room in President Aquino's straight path. I believe that Filipino voters now have a high standard on the officials that they put into office, honest people who shun corruption," Escudero said.

He issued the call to Filipino voters a day after issuing a challenge to government officials and those aspiring for public office including senatorial candidates to execute waivers on secrecy of their bank deposits to accompany the submission of statements of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN).

"Candidates in the coming elections without exception should make public their financial records going by the dictum that working in government is a privilege and not a right,” Escudero said.

An investigate report had implicated several high-profile Filipino personalities mainly politicians as maintaining offshore corporations or trust accounts.

While owning assets in offshore tax havens is not against the law, government officials and employees are required to declare these in their yearly statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN).

Escudero said those serving in government – members of the Executive, the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Judiciary, including judges and justices of the Supreme Court – should also execute the waivers.

Escudero had filed a bill, Senate bill 107 or the Submission of Waiver of Bank Deposits bill, starting in 2010 that seeks the mandatory signing of bank waivers. The controversy involving the illegal use of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) funds prompted the filing of the bill.

It was refiled in the current Congress amid the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, who issued a waiver on the secrecy of his bank accounts which was a major issue in the impeachment trial.

“I will refile the bill in my next Senate term. A similar waiver was required of Chief Justice Renato Corona during his impeachment trial and it only follows that all those in government service should be subjected to the same rules and standard,” Escudero said. 

“The bill on the waiver of secrecy of bank deposits is the missing link to prevent public officials from using the banking system to hide plundered funds,” he added.

Escudero said he signed a bank secrecy waiver which was submitted to the Senate President a day before the verdict to convict Corona on his impeachment case was handed down on March 28, 2012.

The waiver authorizes the Office of the Ombudsman to open bank accounts for scrutiny of government agencies such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

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Instead of the proposed “no work, no pay”, Team PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Tuesday advocated a “no work, no vote’ policy as a better solution to the chronic absenteeism of lawmakers in Congress.

The three-term congressman from the lone district of Aurora urged voters to junk candidates with a record of repeated absences in legislative sessions “thereby neglecting their sworn duties and responsibilities to the people.”

“Huwag nating iboto ang bulakbol. Huwag nating iboto ang mga kandidatong hindi nagtratrabaho,” said Angara, who is now popularly known as Senador Solusyon for the many bills that he authored while in the House of Representatives.

Calls for a “no work, no pay” policy mounted after the House of Representatives released the list of absences of congressmen during the 15th Congress.

Angara reminded voters to be more vigilant and look into the record of the candidates who are mostly incumbent or former members of Congress.  For those who have yet to be members of Congress, Angara said voters could look at their achievements and credentials.

“If they were achievers in their past professional lives, most likely they will be achievers in the Senate. Kung sila ay non-performing asset (NPA) sa dating propesyun ay nabuhay, malamang magiging NPA din sila sa Senado,” he said.

Angara called for a more transparent use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or more popularly known as “pork barrel” to make sure that these are spent wisely and judiciously.

“We should make sure that the PDAF goes to the programs and projects that would benefit the constituents and not for their personal gain. Politicians who abuse their position for corruption do not deserve the people’s vote,” he said.