Malacañang on Saturday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet officials “still have the right to privacy” over certain items in their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs). “While we uphold the principle of transparency and accountability in public service, those working in the government, such as members of the Cabinet, still have the right to privacy,” Abella said in a statement. “With the Data Privacy Act in full force and effectivity this year, data protection officers are obliged to redact items in SALN to protect the right to privacy of all state workers, including Cabinet members. In stories published on Friday, September 22, the PCIJ reported that significant redactions were made in the copies of SALNs filed in December 2016 by Duterte Cabinet members. “It would be important to respect the Data Privacy Act…but we have asked them to consider that the Data Privacy Act doesn’t include people in government,” be it current or former ones, “when it comes to their functions and responsibilities,” PCIJ editor in chief Malou Mangahas said in a public forum on Friday organized by the Right to Know Right Now Coalition.

Source: Manila Times September 23, 2017 16:07 UTC