Makabayan on Wealth check: President MUST ‘lead by example’
The Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives on Wednesday challenged President Marcos to “lead by example” and subject himself to the same lifestyle check he ordered for other government officials.
In a joint statement, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co said Mr. Marcos “could not absolve himself from corruption investigations simply by subjecting others to the same process.”
Diversion ploy
They also noted the irony of Mr. Marcos’ “Mahiya naman kayo (Have some shame)” rebuke of corrupt officials “while his own family’s ill-gotten wealth remains unaccounted for and his administration continues to burden the Filipino people with crushing debt and failed infrastructure projects.”
For the group, the order came across as a “desperate attempt to deflect attention from his own administration’s systemic corruption and lack of transparency.”
“While we support genuine anticorruption efforts, we demand that President Marcos lead by example and subject himself to the same scrutiny he demands from others,” the lawmakers said.
Tinio blamed Mr. Marcos for allowing corruption to thrive at this scale under his watch, noting that the Office of the President itself receives billions in confidential and intelligence funds that are not subjected to a regular audit.
Co also noted that Mr. Marcos himself had never made his own statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) public.
“We cannot just do a lifestyle check on others while the highest official hides his wealth and is not transparent in his transactions,” she noted.
