Online publication of SALNs sought in fight vs corruption

A consortium of four media organizations seeking to curb “the culture of corruption" in the government on Tuesday called for the online publication of the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of public officials. Since January 1, 2010, the country has lost some P70 billion to various forms of government corruption, according to the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) on its Web site. “PPTRP is built on the belief that corruption in public life will only ever be reduced when ordinary people are able to understand, monitor, and ultimately have a say on where and how public money is spent," said Alan Davis, project director of PPTRP. Davis said the PPTRP aims to tap the global reach of the Internet in reporting corrupt practices in government. Signature campaign The project called for the online publication of politicians’ SALNs through a signature campaign, noting that officials “under-declare or even fail to declare all their assets and properties making it very difficult for government investigators and citizens to determine their real wealth and work out whether it was all accrued legally — or otherwise." Republic Act 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, mandates all government officials and employees to disclose annually their properties, liabilities, as well as stakes in businesses. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the project is the brainchild of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)-Asia, Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Mindanews, and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). Besides the online publication of SALNs, the project also sought support in opposing politicians’ practice of putting their names and faces alongside government infrastructure projects. Not anti-government Stressing that it is not anti-government, the project also created a platform on its Web site for the reportage of positive developments observed in localities. “We hope that PPTRP could serve as a platform not only for discussing issues but also for sharing victories in good governance," said Maria Rendon, head of the USAID’s Office of Economic Development and Governance. Retired Commission on Audit (COA) commissioner Sofronio Ursal also stressed the need for effective media relations with government in achieving transparency. “There is no question that to ensure transparency and accountability, that the media and civil society will have to partner with government itself," Ursal said. Working under the theme “Pera Natin ‘To!," the PPTRP sees to place the control and management of public wealth under the public spotlight with the help of the media and the citizenry. “We cannot wait anymore for transparency and accountability to arrive and must start building them ourselves," Davis said. - KBK, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV