Corona dared: If not hiding ill-gotten wealth, why avoid scrutiny?

It is a shame that Chief Justice Renato Corona asked for a temporary restraining order to avoid disclosure of his bank accounts. He is citing the bank secrecy law. But how is he to refute the allegations against him if he keeps on avoiding them? It seems that he resorts to a lot of legalistic manipulations to escape scrutiny.

I believe there is the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) that the Philippines and other countries are committed to. The law deals with illegitimate funds stashed in banks. If indeed the Chief Justice is innocent of the charges hurled against him, then he has nothing to hide. If his “savings” are legitimate, then he should proudly show them and should have included them in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Another disturbing issue is the continued unsolicited statements coming from non-taxpayers. If they want to influence government, they should pay their taxes first just like the rest of us before ever giving an opinion.

—ARTHUR BOQUER,

boquera@yahoo.com