The Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminds all public officials and employees to file their sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth (SALN) for 2017 by April 30, 2018.
The annual filing of SALN is required under the 1987 Philippine Constitution and under Republic Act No. 6713, also known as the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.”
The SALN should contain the true, detailed, and sworn declaration of one’s assets, liabilities, networth, business interests and financial connections, as well as relatives in government service within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity as of the end of the preceding year.
The law requires that all public officials and employees file their SALN, except those serving in honorary capacity (persons who are working in the government without service credit and without pay); those with position title of laborer (persons whose work depends on mere physical power to perform ordinary manual labor, and not one engaged in services consisting mainly of work requiring mental skill or business capacity, and involving the exercise of intellectual faculties); and casual or temporary workers (persons hired to do work outside what is considered necessary for the usual operations of the employer’s business).
The CSC stresses that those holding career positions under temporary status are required to file their SALN. Husband and wife, who are both public officials or employees, may file their SALN jointly or separately.
Aside from the annual submission, the SALN is also required to be filed within 30 days from the date of one’s assumption of office, as well as within 30 days after separation from the service.
CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala said that the filing of the SALN is a sworn duty of every government worker and is in line with the principle that public office is a public trust. “As public servants, it is our way of signifying that we are in government only to serve the public and not to use our positions to enrich ourselves or our families,” she said.
To ensure the completeness of declarations in the SALN, as well as the use of the proper form, each government agency needs to have its own Review and Compliance Committee (RCC) as required in CSC Resolution No. 1300455 dated March 4, 2013. The RCC is authorized by the head of agency to receive the SALN, and to evaluate if it is complete and if it was submitted on time using the proper form.
The RCC shall also prepare a list of employees who filed their SALN with complete data, those who filed their SALN but with incomplete data, and those who did not file their SALN. Said list shall be submitted to the head of agency, copy furnished the CSC, on or before May 15 of every year.
Per CSC Resolution No. 1300174 dated January 24, 2013, it shall be the ministerial duty of the head of office to issue an order immediately upon receipt of the said list to require those who have incomplete data in their SALN to correct/supply the lacking information, and those who did not file their SALN to comply, within a non-extendible period of thirty (30) days from receipt of said order.
R.A. 6713 provides that SALNs be filed by: “(1) Constitutional and national elective officials, with the national office of the Ombudsman; (2) Senators and Congressmen, with the Secretaries of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively; Justices, with the Clerk of Court of the Supreme Court; Judges, with the Court Administrator; and all national executive officials with the Office of the President; (3) Regional and local officials and employees, with the Deputy Ombudsman in their respective regions; (4) Officers of the armed forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, with the Office of the President, and those below said ranks, with the Deputy Ombudsman in their respective regions; and (5) All other public officials and employees, defined in Republic Act No. 3019, as amended, with the Civil Service Commission.”
“We remind government workers to file their SALN as early as possible to give the RCC ample time to evaluate the submissions,” Chairperson Bala said.
Failure to file a sworn SALN and disclosure of business interests and financial connections shall be a ground for administrative disciplinary action, without prejudice to criminal and civil liabilities as may be provided in the law. Under Section 46 (D) (8) of Rule X of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, such failure shall be punishable with suspension of one month and one day to six (6) months for the first offense and dismissal from the service for the second offense.
A guide on filling out the SALN form is available on the CSC website at https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.csc.gov.ph&source=gmail&ust=1519719463958000&usg=AFQjCNGmr-RqUknYNa_jnVSTioGe_34hGA" data-mce-href="http://www.csc.gov.ph/">www.csc.gov.ph.
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