SC justices file SALNs, but stop short of disclosure

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InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - Chief Justice Renato Corona and the 14 Associate Justices of the Supreme Court have submitted their Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth (SALN), Supreme Court Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said on Wednesday. However, revealing their contents to the public remains is another question altogether, in light of a standing 1992 court resolution barring such disclosure.

Marquez said in an ambush interview he checked with the Clerk of Court to see if all the justices have complied with the April 30 deadline.

“All the Justices have filed their SALN. I called the Clerk of Court to check last April 30 and she said it’s complete. I do not know when exactly they filed,” Marquez said.

But Marquez explained that requesting a copy is another question because of a 1992 ruling that prohibits Justices, Judges and other court personnel from making public their SALN.

“That has been the policy of the court. It was addressed to those requesting copies of SALN---not to the justices. So, it's the call of justices if they want to disclose their SALNs but they should be guided by the policy of the court,” Marquez explained.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is seeking reconsideration of the 1992 resolution.

The last action made by the Supreme Court was to ask the Sandiganbayan Justices to comment.

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