Ombudsman reopens SALN access, citing anti-corruption push

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has reopened public access to Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) of public officials, reversing a 2020 restriction that required notarized consent.

New guidelines stipulate that personal information such as home addresses and details of unmarried children will be redacted, but information on real properties and other assets will not.

The Ombudsman emphasized that transparency in how government officials manage their wealth is a safeguard against corruption.

Remulla hopes to eventually ease SALN release restrictions to cover all branches of government, including Congress, the judiciary, and constitutional bodies.

Senator Robinhood Padilla has asked the Senate Secretary to release his SALN, voluntarily waiving any privacy concerns, and Rep. Eli San Fernando has also authorized the release of his SALN.

Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III stated that the House of Representatives is open to crafting rules on the public release of their SALNs and will discuss it thoroughly during the congressional break to ensure consistent and transparent disclosure.

Prior to these recent actions, only four House members had released copies of their SALNs: Reps. Chel Diokno (P13.1 million assets), Percival Cendaña (P1 million net worth), Dadah Ismula (P3.2 million net worth), and Rep. Arlene Bag-ao (P15 million total assets).