MANILA - Sen. Manny Pacquiao said on Wednesday he will waive his right under the Philippines' Bank Secrecy Law and will require his appointed officials to do the same, if he is elected to the country's highest office this May.

In a statement, Pacquiao said the proposed move will help ensure transparency and accountability in government. He added that an official's immediate family members would also have to waive the same right.

“Hindi lang ako pipirma ng waiver sa bank secrecy," Pacquiao said. "Maging mga kasamahan ko sa gobyerno, they will be asked to sign the waiver before they can be appointed. Pati SALN, hindi ito itatago sa publiko. As public servants, we should be transparent and accountable."

(I will not just sign a waiver for bank secrecy. Even my colleagues in government will be asked to sign the waiver before they can be appointed. Even their SALNs won't be hidden from the public.)

• Senate aspirants push for publicly disclosing SALN
• Critics alarmed by ombudsman proposals to SALN law

Pacquiao is not the only presidential hopeful who has promised to waive bank secrecy rights. Fellow senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said last November that such a move would "set the tone" for a corruption-free bureaucracy.

Manila City Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said in December he is ready to waive his own rights to bank secrecy as well.

• READ: Lacson says to waive bank secrecy if elected president
• READ: Isko Moreno gives P10,000 aid to fire victims in Manila

"Mega Prison"

Pacquiao also said that his first executive action as president would be the creation of a so-called "Mega Prison" that would serve as the main detention facility of all government officials caught for corruption.

The retired boxer said that the facility, if built, would have its own hospital to detain those under hospital arrest, as well as a small hut for those under house arrest.

“We have seen how they were able to manipulate the justice system so that they can still live comfortably and easily," he said. "May mga props pang mga wheelchair, at yung iba may sakit naman daw pero noong nakalaya na sila, biglang naging healthy sila, nakakatakbo pa. Mawawala na lahat yan sa ating MP dahil kumpleto na ito."

(Some used props like wheelchairs, while others said they were sick but suddenly became healthy upon release. They can even run. That will all be gone with our MP because it will have everything.)

• READ: Pacquiao promises free housing for families displaced by Odette

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