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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF 
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First Regular Session 
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THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S E N A T E  
S. No. 
I r Q o  
INTItODUCKI) BY HONORABLIC MAR ROX\S 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This Bills seeks to amend R.A. No. 6713, also known as the “Code of Conduct 
and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees”, to allow the Ombudsman to 
examine the deposits, deposit substitutes or investments of a public official or employee 
as well as hidher spouse and children under 18 years of age, whether in private or public 
offices, banks or financial institutions. This will be done by expanding the authority 
already granted to the Ombudsman in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and 
Financial Disclosure of public officials and employees. 
According to studies done by Transparency International, the Philippines lost as 
much as US$48 billion to corruption in the last 20 years. Because of the magnitude of 
the public funds lost to Corruption, there is an urgent need to address the problems faced 
by the Ombudsman in locating, freezing, and seizing all misappropriated public funds or 
ill gotten wealth at the soonest possible time. 
The Constitution provides that a public office is a public trust and that all public 
officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people. To implement this 
policy, R.A. No. 6713 requires, among others, the yearly filing of a Statement of Assets 
and Liabilities and Financial Disclosure under oath by every public official and 
employee. Among the information required to be disclosed in the two documents is 
information on “assets such as investments, cash on hand or in banks, stocks, bonds and 
the like.” The same law requires all public officials and employees to execute within 30 
days from the date of their assumption of office, the necessary authority in favor of the 
Ombudsman to obtain from all appropriate government agencies, including the Bureau of 
Internal Revenue, such documents as may show their assets, liabilities, net worth, and 
also their business interests and financial connections in previous years, including, if 
possible, the year when they first assumed any office in Government. 
The requirement in R.A. No. 6713 of the grant of authority in favor of the 
Ombudsman is, however, limited by the language of the law itself since the authority 
granted is only in favor of appropriate government agencies. 
On the other hand, 
Republic Act No. 1405, also known as the “Bank Secrecy Law”, bars examination of 
bank deposits and investments in government bonds except, among others, upon written 
permission of the depositor. Thus, unscrupulous public officials are able to avail of these 
loopholes to bar inquiry by the Ombudsman. 
This Bill seeks to plug the loopholes provided by R.A. Nos. 6713 and 1405 and 
allow the Ombudsman to inquire into all investments and deposits of a public official, 
hidher spouse and children under the age of 18, whether they be in private or public 
offices or institutions. 
In view of the foregoing, approval of thi 
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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF 
1 
THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
1 
INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE MAR ROXAS 
AN ACT 
ALLOWING THE OMBUDSMAN TO EXAMINE ALL THE BANK DEPOSITS 
OF PUBLIC OFFICERS WITH THE LATTER’S WRITTEN CONSENT BY 
AMENDING SECTION 8 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6713, OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE “CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC 
OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES.” 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6713, otherwise known as the “Code of 
Conduct and Ethical Standards jor Public OSJicials and Employees, ” is hereby amended 
to read as follows: 
“Section 8. Statement of Disclosure. - Public officials and employees have an 
obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the 
right to h o w  their assets, liabilities, net worth and financial and business interest 
including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under eighteen (1 8) years of 
age living in their households. 
The two documents shall contain information on the following: 
(a) real property, its improvement, acquisition costs, assessed value and 
current fair market value; 
(b) personal property and acquisition cost; 
(c) all other assets such as investments, cash on hand or in banks, stocks, 
bonds and the like; 
(d) liabilities; and 
(e) all business interests and financial connections. 
The documents must be filed: 
(a) within thirty (30) days after assumption of office; 
(b) on or before April 30, of every year thereafter; and 
(c) within thirty (30) days after separation from the service. 
All public officials and employees required under this section to file the 
aforestated documents shall also execute, within thirty (30) days from the date of their 
assumption of office, the necessary authority in favor of the Ombudsman to obtain from 
all appropriate government agencies, including the Bureau of Internal Revenue, AS 
WELL AS PRIVATE OFFICES, FIRMS OR INSTITUTIONS, such documents that may 
show their assets, liabilities, net worth, and also their business interest and financial 
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connections in previous years, including, if possible, the year when they first assumed 
any office in the Government. 
THE AUTHORITY SHALL INCLUDE AN EXPRESS PERMISSION IN 
FAVOR OF THE OMBUDSMAN TO EXAMINE ANY OR ALL OF HIS OR HER 
DEPOSITS AND/OR DEPOSIT SUBSTITUTES, WHETHER OR NOT IDENTIFIED 
IN THE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES, INCLUDING THOSE 
UNDER THE NAME OF HIS OR HER SPOUSE AND/OR CHILDREN UNDER 
EIGHTEEN (1 8) YEARS OF AGE. 
THE TERM “DEPOSITS” REFERS TO SAVINGS, DEMAND OR CURRENT, 
AND, TIME OR FIXED DEPOSITS, AS REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 1980 OF R.A. 
NO. 386, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CIVIL CODE. 
AS PROVIDED IN R.A. NO. 7653, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “NEW 
CENTRAL BANK ACT,” THE TERM “DEPOSIT SUBSTITUTES” IS DEFINED AS 
AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF OBTAINING FUNDS FROM THE PUBLIC, OTHER 
THAN 
DEPOSITS, 
THROUGH 
THE 
ISSUANCE, 
ENDORSEMENT, 
OR 
ACCEPTANCE OF DEBT INSTRUMENTS FOR THE BORROWER’S OWN 
ACCOUNT, FOR THE PURPOSE OF RELENDING OR PURCHASING OF 
RECEIVABLES AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS. 
THESE INSTRUMENTS MAY 
INCLUDE, BUT NEED’ NOT BE LIMITED TO, BANKERS ACCEPTANCES, 
PROMISSORY NOTES, PARTICIPATIONS, CERTIFICATES OF ASSIGNMENT 
AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS WITH RECOURSE, AND REPURCHASE 
AGREEMENTS. 
Husband and wife who are both public employees may file the required 
statements jointly or separately. 
The Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and the Disclosure of 
Business Interest and Financial Connections shall be filed by: 
(I) Constitutional and national elective officials, with the national office of 
the Ombudsman; 
(2) Senators and Congressmen, with the Secretaries of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives, respectively: Justices, with the Clerk of Court 
of the Supreme Court; Judges, with the Court Administrator, and all 
national executive officials with the Office of the President; 
(3) Regional and local officials and employees, with the Deputy Ombudsman 
in their respective region; 
(4) Officers of the armed forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, 
with the Office of the President, and those below said ranks, with the 
Deputy Ombudsman in their respective regions; and 
(5) All other public officials and employees, defined in Republic Act No. 
3019, as amended, with the Civil Service Commission. 
(B) Identification and disclosure of relatives. -It shall be the duty of every public 
official or employee to identify and disclose, to the best of his knowledge and 
information, his relatives in the Government in the form, manner and frequency 
prescribed by the Civil Service Commission. 
(C) Accessibility of documents. - (1) Any and all statements filed under this Act, 
shall be made available for inspection at reasonable hours. 
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(2) Such statements shall be made available for copying or reproduction after 
ten (1 0) working days from the time they are filed as required by law. 
(3) Any person requesting a copy of a statement shall be required to pay a 
reasonable fee to cover the cost or reproduction and mailing of such statement, as 
well as the cost of certification. 
(4) Any statement filed under this Act shall be available to the public for a 
period of ten (10) years after receipt of the statement. After such period, the 
statement may be destroyed unless needed in an ongoing investigation. 
(D) Prohibited acts. - It shall be unlawful for any person to obtain or use any 
statement filed under this Act for: 
(a) any purpose contrary to morals or public policy; or 
(b) any commercial purpose other than by news and communications media 
for dissemination to the general public. 
SECTION 2. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees and orders or parts thereof 
inconsistent herewith, are deemed repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 3. Saving Provision. - Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to affect the full 
operation of R.A. No. 6713, otherwise known as the “Code of Conduct and Ethical 
Standards for Public Ofjciuls und Employees. ’’ 
SECTION 4. Separability Clause. - The provisions of this Act are hereby declared to be 
separable and, in the event any of such provisions is declared unconstitutional, the other 
provisions which are not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
SECTION 5. 
publications in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. 
Approved. 
Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its 
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