Hypocrite? House retorts to Baste over Romualdez SALN probe call

The House of Representatives lashed back at acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte on Thursday, calling him a hypocrite for urging an investigation into Speaker Martin Romualdez’s alleged ballooning Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), when the Dutertes keep their own “closely guarded.”

Duterte on Wednesday said the House committee on appropriations should launch a probe into Romualdez’s SALN, alleging that it swelled from P200 million to P3 billion in three years. 

The period from 2022 to 2025 covers Romualdez’s tenure as House speaker of the 19th Congress. He was reelected as the chamber’s leader in the present Congress after running unopposed. 

House spokesperson Princess Abante was quick to come to the defense of Romualdez, dismissing Duterte’s tirades as “another baseless attempt to smear” Romualdez.

Moreover, she labeled the figures cited by the Davao mayor as “absurd fabrications,” which only exposes “the Dutertes’ penchant for fake news.”

“What makes this even more ironic is that the Dutertes are known for keeping their own SALNs a closely guarded secret, refusing to make them public despite years in power. Now they dare lecture others about transparency? That is hypocrisy of the highest order,” Abante retorted. 

Romualdez’s SALN is filed in accordance with the law and open to scrutiny, unlike those of the Dutertes, according to Abante.

“If the Dutertes truly believe in accountability, they should start by releasing their own SALNs to the public, instead of inventing lies to cover up their own failures,” Abante concluded. 

High-ranking officials, such as the president and vice president, file their SALN with the Ombudsman. However, public access to SALN has been restricted as early as the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, under ex-Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ watch.

Martires retired on 27 July after finishing the required seven-year term. He was named Ombudsman by Duterte in 2018.

Martires issued a memorandum in 2020 restricting access to SALN, unless there’s an authorization from the declarant. 

Former president Duterte stepped down from office in June 2022, without declaring his SALN. 

The issue of an undeclared SALN was among the offenses cited by the House in impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte on 5 February. 

The House accused the VP of culpable violation of the Constitution and betraying public trust for allegedly amassing unexplained wealth and failing to declare her properties in her SALN.