OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio- Morales on Thursday urged all government officials and employees to be truthful in the accomplishment of their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and to file ahead of the April 30 deadline.
“The annual filing of SALN is a constitutional and statutory obligation of every public servant in any branch, subdivision, instrumentality or agency of the government, including government-owned and controlled corporations and their subsidiaries,” she said in a statement.
Pursuant to the 1987 Constitution, Section 8(a) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees requires the filing of SALNs within 30 days after assumption of office on or before April 30 of every year thereafter and within 30 days after separation from the service.
The SALN is a declaration under oath of assets (i.e. land, houses, cash, etc), liabilities (i.e. personal or institutional loans), and the business and financial interests, of a government official, spouse, and unmarried children under 18 years old still living in the household.
Those who serve in an honorary capacity, laborers and casual or temporary workers, however, are exempted from the SALN requirement.
Failure to file the SALN or dishonesty in doing so, warrants suspension of one to six months for the first offense, and dismissal from service for the second offense.
The SALN has been an effective investigatory and discovery measure in determining ill-gotten wealth as it includes a waiver authorizing the Ombudsman or his authorized representatives to obtain documents from any government agency or financial institutions that may show assets, liabilities, net worth, business interests, and financial connections of a government official or employee.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the three-month suspension of two high-ranking officials from the Mindanao State University over their failure to promptly act on a faculty member’s request for an update on his Government Service Insurance System.
Macapado Muslim, university president, and Papala Masorong, chief accountant, were found guilty of simple neglect of duty and violation of Section 5(a) and (d) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees or Republic Act No. 6713.
The Ombudsman directed the Commission on Higher Education to implement the suspension order.
Investigation showed the complainant—Ranao Datu-Dacula—was a faculty member who retired from the service in May 2015 after serving the school since 1992.
Sometime in 2014, he found out that his GSIS contributions started only in March 2003.
Because of such, he wrote letters to the university’s administrators requesting for an update, reconciliation and payment of unremitted contributions from 1992 to 2003.
Four other follow-up letters were made in December 2014 to February 2015, all to no avail.
“It is established that there was undue delay in the response and action made on the request of complainant. Respondents do not dispute the fact that starting December 2014, complainant had been sending various letters to them regarding his unremitted GSIS contributions. However, it was only on 12 October 2015 that MSU administration, through its Legal Service Office, took action,” the Ombudsman’s resolution read.
“The length of time of almost eight months from the first letter of respondent and when an action was finally made, is unjustified. It is absurd that the simple referral to the GSIS by the MSU took eight months to happen.”
“Clearly, respondents were neglectful of their duties when they did not promptly act upon the concern of complainant. In the same vein, by their patent failure to respond to the letters of complainant within 15 days from receipt and to act promptly and expeditiously, respondents violated Section 5(a) and (d) of RA No. 6713,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said.
In case of separation from the service, the penalty shall be converted into a fine equivalent to respondent’s salary for three months. With Herand Pandaan