Set example: Akbayan bloc wants all of House peers to bare SALNs
The Akbayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Wednesday pushed for the release of the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) of all of the chamber’s members, amid the controversy over flood control projects that has implicated several lawmakers.
Akbayan Representatives Chel Diokno, Percival Cendaña and Dadah Kiram Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao filed House Resolution No. 271, which directs the Office of the Secretary General to make public all SALNs of House members.
“As representatives of the Filipino people, members of the House of Representatives must lead by example by demonstrating their commitment to ethical conduct and accountability, thereby setting the tone for other public officials and employees,” they said in the resolution.
Diokno, Cendaña, Ismula and Bag-ao have earlier disclosed their SALNs to show they have no conflicts of interest in the ongoing congressional probe into the flood control project controversy. They also challenged their colleagues to voluntarily do the same.
Diokno stressed that “if we truly want to weed out corruption, lawmakers must first open themselves to scrutiny.”
“By making our SALNs open to public scrutiny, we are showing the people that we have nothing to hide and everything to account for,” he added in a separate statement.
Kickbacks
It was also Diokno who first asked the House infra committee now investigating anomalous, substandard and ghost projects to compel its members to disclose whether they had business, financial and other pecuniary interests that could affect the direction of the inquiry.
A House spokesperson said last week that Speaker Martin Romualdez’s SALN has been filed and is open for scrutiny, following a call for a review of the document from acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
The resolution comes amid separate inquiries by the Senate and the House into controversial flood control projects under the Marcos administration.
At a Senate hearing last Monday, construction company owners Curlee and Sarah Discaya named several congressmen and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) who allegedly demanded kickbacks of up to 25 percent after their firms secured government flood control projects.
The lawmakers, including Romualdez, denied the allegations and threatened to sue the Discaya couple.
From July 2022 to May 2025, the government has poured P545.5 billion into nearly 10,000 projects, but flooding remained a crippling problem and had even gotten worse in Metro Manila and many provinces.
“Recent flooding has raised serious concerns about irregularities in the implementation of flood control projects, including allegations of ghost projects, overpriced contracts, questionable bidding practices, and the involvement of relatives or close associates of public officials,” the Akbayan lawmakers said.
Martires memo
They cited constitutional and statutory mandates requiring public disclosure of SALNs, specifically Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
However, the Office of the Ombudsman then under Samuel Martires restricted public access to the SALNs on file with its office by issuing Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2020 during the Duterte administration.
The Akbayan resolution came two weeks after President Marcos ordered the conduct of “lifestyle checks” on all government officials, starting with the DPWH.
To ensure the security of lawmakers releasing their SALNs, the resolution said sensitive information such as their personal addresses, signatures, and other means of identification would be redacted in the documents that will be made public.
