Ghost ombudsman

Taking their cue from newly minted Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boy-ing” Remulla, all members of the Senate finally released their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), public documents that had been kept private for years.

- RONALD LLAMAS

That wasn’t so hard, was it? No need for applause. Nothing heroic about it. This is actually long overdue and frankly, something expected of them in the first place.

All members of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court should follow suit. Last time I checked, only a handful of House members, mainly progressives and reformers, have released their SALNs, and none from the so-called Gods of Padre Faura. This should become a regular habit, not a one-off publicity stunt. After all, transparency used to be the norm before ICC inmate Rodrigo Duterte came to power, along with his ombudsman, Samuel Martires, who thought public transparency was somehow an affront to politicians’ dignity.

Public office is a public trust. If our politicians can’t do something as basic as releasing their SALNs, the bare minimum of transparency, how can we trust them? Joining the government is not like signing an exclusive membership to a private club. If they’re allergic to public scrutiny, they have no business doing public service. They should’ve chosen a career in the private sector, though, given their track records, one wonders who would even hire them.

Of course, SALN disclosure is not a magic bullet against corruption. The corrupt can find many ways to hide their stolen wealth. Still, this remains a vital tool for transparency. When red flags appear in a politician’s SALN, the public gains both reason and the right to ask questions and dig deeper.