THERE are some pronouncements from the Aquino administration that are sometimes so incongruous with each other.
One concrete example is in the way it is handling the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam.
“Daang matuwid” (Straight path) has been the campaign slogan of President Benigno Aquino III. It is the battle cry of his fight against graft and corruption.
But why is his administration not that hot and aggressive in responding to calls for lifestyle checks on government officials, including members of Aquino’s cabinet, who are implicated in the pork barrel scandal?
Malacañang says it is still considering that option, but was quick to stress that it could take time.
In a report on Balitang America, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio B. Coloma, Jr. says that in order to conduct lifestyle checks on these public officials, the government should first comply with requirements under existing laws.
According to Coloma, before lifestyle checks can be lawfully conducted on government officials, requirements must be met under the Anti-graft Law, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Government Officials and Employees.
Seriously?
From a layman’s perspective, it seems like it is a no-brainer to conduct lifestyle checks, if the government is really serious and committed in making sure that no public official is enriching himself/herself through his/her position in government.
While public officials are mandated to submit their individual Statement of Assets, Liability, and Net worth (SALN), how else can the government verify the accuracy of these SALNs, if not through lifestyle checks?
And it is an even more pressing task, if they have already been implicated in a corruption scandal as big and obscene as the pork barrel scam!
There have also been mounting calls for an investigation into public bank deposits, as well as for the resignation of those being linked to the multi-billion peso scam.
But Malacañang contends that the allegations against these officials should not affect their work.
The Aquino government even stresses that these cabinet officials are innocent until proven guilty, and that Malacañang is committed to pursue the investigation, based on evidence.
Isn’t the “Lifestyle Check Program” a helpful way to gather evidence?
What are lifestyle checks?
This is how the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) discussed “lifestyle checks” (Lifestyle Check: A Handbook for Civil Society, 2007), in a message signed by Executive Director Vincent Lazatin. This manual was made possible through the help of the Rule of Law Effectiveness, with funding support from USAID.
“Public officials shall lead modest lives.
This is a principle that is stated in Article XI, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and reiterated in Section 4(h) of Republic Act 6713, also known as ‘Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.’ Yet it has been accepted by the general public that public servants lead, and in fact many times flaunt, ostentatious lifestyles. A quick scan of the parking lot of the House of Representatives in Quezon City will show many of the latest multi-million peso model sports utility vehicles or imported German luxury cars bearing the number “8” license plate of congressmen. (The question arises, are they congressmen because they are rich, or are they rich because the are congressmen? Neither case is good.)
Not only is such display illegal, it is an indicator of possible corruption. It is with this presumption that the government undertook the Lifestyle Check Program to check into possible corrupt officials.
Lifestyle checks get a further boost by Republic Act 1379, commonly known as the “Ill Gotten Wealth Law.” RA 1379 basically says that if a public official is observed to live a lifestyle or has acquired assets (wealth) beyond his or her visible means of income, the wealth is presumed to be ill-gotten. The law is innovative in that the burden of proof lies with the public official. He or she has the burden to prove that the assets were legally obtained.
Unfortunately, the government agencies that have undertaken the lifestyle check program,the Department of Finance, the Ombudsman and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, are admittedly undermanned and lack the necessary tools and equipment to conduct comprehensive lifestyle checks on a bureaucracy of 1.5 million. While a vast majority of our public servants serve honestly and humbly, there are still a large number, though in the minority, that are not ashamed to show off some of the wealth they have acquired while in government service.
Luxury cars, homes in tony subdivisions, exclusive schools for their children, frequent trips abroad, meals in expensive restaurants, memberships in exclusive country clubs and the like are all evidence of an ostentatious lifestyle.
It is because of the government’s lack of resources and manpower to fully conduct lifestyle checks on public officials, that assistance from the public is badly needed. Almost every citizen now has the power to contribute to the fight against corruption by gathering information on the lifestyles of public servants and forwarding the same to the appropriate authorities.
It is with this type of citizen vigilance in mind that the Transparency and Accountability Network decided to embark on the creation of a Lifestyle Check Manual for citizens, civil society organizations, community organizations and non-governmental organizations.
With this manual, such individuals and groups can obtain and submit information that can be useful to the Lifestyle Check Program of government.
Even as we can now all become ‘informants,’ we must also realize that every tip or piece of information that we submit must find its way through to the proper place if it is to lead to a case build up and the filing of a case against a suspected corrupt government official.
The information we submit may or may not snowball into a case that can lead to conviction.But even if it does not, the public should remain undaunted, because once all of us can be potential informants on the lifestyles of public officials it becomes a deterrent to at least the display of wealth.
We all need help in the fight against corruption. Armed with this manual and determination, any individual or organized group can contribute to the lifestyle check program to keep our government officials honest and leading modest lives.”
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
