Enrile: Truth is the only standard
for all public officials

PRESIDING OFFICER Juan Ponce Enrile reminded Senator-Judges and the public that there should only be one fixed standard for all government officers, and that is the truth.

Enrile made the remark after several Senator-Judges, notably Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo, pointed out that errors in the entries of the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth of public officials do not necessarily constitute a criminal offense.

Santiago had referred to the case of former Public Works Undersecretary Salvador Pleyto who was found by the courts guilty of having errors in his SALN for 1999 and 2001. The Supreme Court said that Pleyto was only guilty of negligence.

Santiago and Arroyo said the main issue now is whether any errors in the SALN filed by Corona would already constitute an impeachable or even a criminal offense.

But Enrile broke in to stress that public officials are bound in principle to make truthful disclosures, regardless of whether an error is criminal or not.

“The only standard for both high and low officials is to tell the truth and nothing but the truth” in their SALNs, Enrile said.