Palace rejects senator's bid to open appointees' bank accounts

Malacañang on Saturday rejected a suggestion by a senator for President Benigno Aquino III to have government appointees open their bank accounts to the public for scrutiny. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who brought up the suggestion, should instead file the appropriate bill in Congress. “Kung nakita ni Sen. Cayetano na may pangangailangang dagdagan ang exception sa batas, dapat manggaling sa lehislatura yan (If Sen. Cayetano sees a need to exclude officials from the Bank Secrecy Act, he should file the appropriate bill in Congress)," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She even suggested that Cayetano move to exclude officials from all branches of government, including the judiciary and legislature, instead of just focusing on the executive branch. But at present, she said the Bank Secrecy Act protects all bank accounts from “public scrutiny." “If he really believes there should be exceptions to the law, he should not only put the burden on officials of the executive but on all branches of the government, including congressmen and senators," she said. Valte also said that in President Benigno Aquino III’s case, there is no need for him to open his bank accounts to the public because he is already “transparent." She said Aquino had been upfront about his expenses, including his campaign funds. Valte similarly brushed off suggestions for an elite team to conduct lifestyle checks on officials, saying the Bureau of Internal Revenue is already doing that. On Friday, Cayetano called on President Aquino to require all government appointees to sign a waiver stating they would open their bank accounts to public scrutiny. He said this will be an “additional safeguard and additional confidence building" for the public. — LBG, GMA News