Youth launch ‘WaiverWatch’

A YOUTH NETWORK has launched a campaign to get senior public officials, including President Benigno S. Aquino III, members of his Cabinet, and legislators from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, to sign a waiver against the confidentiality of their bank deposits so that the public may really know their true assets.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) and the Kabataan Partylist have set-up a website called “WaiverWatch” to track which officials have already signed or at least expressed interest in signing such a waiver, and which officials have adamantly refused to sign.

The youth groups note that “only a handful of congressmen and senators have signed such a waiver,” while the highest officials of the land, including President Aquino himself, have refused to sign.

Interestingly, the waiver-fever came as a result of the waiver signed by impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona before the impeachment court and broadcast live over television. Corona at first said he would only submit his waiver if all the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint against him sign a similar waiver too.  Later, Corona said he was submitting his waiver regardless of who else signs such a waiver.

Corona was convicted by the senate sitting as an impeachment court for his failure to declare all his bank assets in his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth or SALN. Corona had admitted that he did not declare $2.4 million in dollar deposits and another P 80 million in peso accounts in his SALN, saying the dollar deposits were covered by the confidentiality clause of the foreign currency deposits act and the peso accounts were not solely his.

The groups that launched the WaiverWatch campaign said they want all public officials to submit themselves “to the same stringent standards of conduct imposed upon Chief Justice Corona.”

The WaiverWatch website also listed the political personalities who have already signed such a waiver, or have expressed willingness to sign one.

Those who have signed include:

• Former Chief Justice Renato Corona
• Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
• Sen. Chiz Escudero
• Sen. Bong Revilla
• Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV
• Rep. Raymond Palatino
• Rep. Antonio Tinio
• Rep. Rafael Mariano
• Rep. Teddy Casino
• Rep. Neri Colmenares
• Rep. Luz Ilagan
• Rep.  Emmi de Jesus
• Rep. Abigail Feriol

The website listed twelve  congressmen who have expressed willingness to sign a waiver.

• Teddy Baguilat
• Kimi Cojuangco
• Sonny Angara
• Danilo Suarez
• Mitos Magsaysay
• JV Ejercito
• Gabriel Quisumbing
• Cutie del Mar
• Angelo Palmones
• Ben Hur Salimbangon
• Bernadette Herrara Dy
• Ponciano Payuyo

On the other hand, President Aquino and members of his Cabinet were listed under the column “Please sign the waiver now.”

The President and his spokesmen have insisted that he does not need to sign a waiver of confidentiality of his bank deposits, as he had already signed a similar waiver in favor of the Ombudsman when he submitted his SALN. The President had made a specific campaign promise to sign a waiver of confidentiality and make public his bank accounts. His critics point out that this was entirely different from the waiver included in the SALN, which is only in favor of the Ombudsman.

Also included in the column for those who have not signed a waiver are leaders of the House of Representatives, including members of the House panel that prosecuted Corona before the impeachment body.