President, lawmakers express willingness to disclose SALNs
Following Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s memorandum that relaxed public access to statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), President Marcos and lawmakers on Wednesday expressed willingness to make their SALNs open to the public.
In a brief media interview in Malacañang, Mr. Marcos said his statement of net worth “will be available to whoever would like to [request it].”
Caucus on disclosure
“Give it to them. If it’s requested by the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure), of course I will give it. If the Ombudsman also makes a request, we will give [our SALNs],” the President said a week after his Oct. 7 appointment of Remulla, his former justice secretary.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said public access to SALNs of senators “is not new to us.”
“When I was SP (Senate President) before, we allowed the access to the SALNs of the senators subject to their individual approval,” he told reporters, adding that his colleagues will soon hold a caucus to discuss procedures to make public their statements of net worth.
“I will seek their permission. I’m ready anytime,” he said.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, in a statement, said he supports Remulla’s Memorandum Circular No. 3, his Oct. 14 directive on the disclosure of SALNs.
“Access to public documents such as the SALN promotes greater openness and strengthens the mechanisms for accountability among public officials, in keeping with the government’s continuing effort to combat corruption in the public sector. We will continue to support anticorruption initiatives and policies that uphold honest, transparent and accountable governance,” said the senator, who has been implicated in the corruption scandal over the government’s flood control projects.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla in his statement said “Let my SALN be the first to be disclosed to the public.”
He said he had written a letter asking Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. to release his financial statement to the public.
‘Unconstitutional restrictions’
Senate Deputy Majority Leaders JV Ejercito and Risa Hontiveros also agreed with Remulla’s directive.
“This is timely as the public is longing for transparency in the wake of the floodgate scandals that [have] rocked the government,” Ejercito said.
Hontiveros said she welcomes the removal of the “unjust, unconstitutional and antipeople restrictions” on access to SALNs.
The senator was referring to restrictions on the disclosure of SALNS imposed by Remulla’s predecesor, Samuel Martires—including such requirements as a notarized consent from the officials concerned, a court order for a SALN’s release in relation to a pending case, and if the statements are also needed by the Ombudsman’s field investigators for a fact-finding probe.
Martires, a retired Supreme Court associate justice before he was appointed Ombudsman in 2017, had also sought to have comments on SALNs punishable by imprisonment.
Media reports required
With the memo issued by Remulla, journalists and the public will now only need to present two valid IDs and pay a certification fee to request a copy of an official’s SALN.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian noted that parties usually requesting such documents are media and advocacy organizations.
The memorandum, however, also requires journalists to submit their reports based on SALNs within five days of publication to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Remulla explained that provision, saying it was intended to also help protect officials’ privacy, while media groups criticized the provision as “repressive” and “unusual.”
Conflict of interest disclosure
Despite questions about Remulla’s memorandum, Gatchalian called it “a welcome development because it’s easier for those who want to know about their public servants—how much they are earning, what their businesses are… You have to disclose [these things].”
He added that the Commission on Audit has thought of a better way to prevent corruption—by requiring its employees to file detailed conflict-of-interest declarations, indicating if their income sources run counter to their work as auditors.
Members of the House are just as open to have their statements of net worth disclosed, according to House Speaker Faustino Dy III.
“While it hasn’t been formally discussed yet, members of the House are open to it,” he said in an interview with TrueFM.
‘In our time’
“I think it’s a good issue to tackle. During our break, we’ll study it carefully so we can come out with clear rules on how to show our support for the release of our SALNs,” he added.
Dy recalled that lawmakers’ SALNs used to be open for public inspection and said Congress should restore that practice.
“In our time, [these] were open for the public to see,” Dy said, adding that he and Remulla had served Congress for more than two decades.
“Let’s just wait for the next directives so that transparency is achieved and the SALNs of every lawmaker are made public,” the Speaker said. —WITH REPORTS FROM LUISA K. CABATO AND DEMPSEY REYES
