Ombudsman to release SALNs starting October 15

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced that a memorandum lifting restrictions on accessing Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) will be released next week, starting Wednesday, October 15.

This reverses the restrictive policy implemented under former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, which required a notarized letter of authority for SALN access.

The new policy will allow access to SALNs following the memorandum's issuance, with a process for requests and redactions to be laid out.

Remulla confirmed that SALNs from 2016 onwards, including those of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, and himself, will be made accessible.

He stated that national security implications will be considered before releasing the documents.

The Ombudsman also plans to launch a crowdsourcing initiative for the public to report individuals who may warrant investigation.