In my interview with Congressman Erin Tanada, he said that it would have been different if The Freedom of Information bill was passed prior to the impeachment. The impeachment would have been immaterial, since under the FOI bill, all government officials would have been required to post the SALNs in their respective websites. Anybody who is interested on studying the SALN would have gained access into it and would have been satisfied.
The interview came during my show yesterday over at Radio Inquirer 990 khz. In the first episode of Ratsada sa Inquirer, we guested Erin Tanada who happens to be one of the lead prosecutors during the impeachment of the Chief Justice.
Tanada admitted publicly for the first time that they only expect 16 guilty votes. What really tilted the outcome in their favor was when Chief Justice "walked" out of the impeachment trial. That really convinced some of the senators to render a strong verdict.
Tanada also said that the Chief Justice impeachment trial taught us all a lesson--that is transparency in governance applies to all government officials, regardless of rank and status.
Tanada is currently advocating for the passage of the FOI since this will institutionalize calls for transparency in all governmental actions.
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