Malacañang said President Marcos will not prevent the release of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) after several civil society groups formally requested access to the document.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said this after groups Akbayan, Tindig Pilipinas, and other civil society organizations recently sought copies of the President’s SALN, citing the importance of transparency and accountability in public office.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Nov. 6, Castro said the President respects the process and will defer to the Office of the Ombudsman, which has jurisdiction over SALN disclosures.

“Hintayin na lang po nila. Hindi naman po pipigilan ng Pangulo iyan. Hintayin po nila kung ano po ang magiging tugon ng Ombudsman (They should just wait. The President will not stop it. Let’s wait for whatever the Ombudsman decides),” she said.

Under Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, all government officials must file their SALNs annually to declare their assets, liabilities, and business interests.

The law allows the public to access these documents, but previous restrictions under former Ombudsman Samuel Martires had made it nearly impossible for citizens and journalists to obtain copies.

The renewed push for transparency comes amid a national conversation on ethics and disclosure sparked by former Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda and former Office of the Vice President spokesman Barry Gutierrez.

In the latest episode of their podcast, titled “The Return of Transparency: Why SALNs Still Matter,” the two reflected on their experiences as public servants and emphasized the SALN’s role in promoting honesty in governance.

“Sa dulo, ang key point dito, it’s less about yung technical requirements ng SALN. It’s more about papaano natin maitataguyod yung kultura ng transparency — na ang default na attitude [dapat] ng mga public officials ay, ‘Sige, bukas ako. Open book ako’ (At the end of the day, it’s less about the technicalities of the SALN and more about building a culture of transparency—that public officials should have an open-book attitude),” Gutierrez said.

Lacierda, who served as presidential spokesperson under the Aquino administration, echoed the point, saying that privacy has limits once one enters public service.

“You cannot use privacy when you enter government service. There’s a certain amount of privacy that has to be sacrificed,” he said.

“In our time, we were submitting our annual SALNs. May mga tanong ang media, but that’s not persecution. You speak truth to the fourth estate because that’s really their job: to check if you’re doing your work properly,” he added.

The two former government officials also urged agencies such as the Senate, House of Representatives, and Ombudsman to take a more active role in auditing and verifying declarations to ensure accountability.