At A Glance
- Some senators expressed openness on Wednesday, Oct. 15, to making their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) public.
Some senators on Wednesday, Oct. 15, expressed openness to making their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) available to the public.
Senate of the Philippines Building (MB file photo)
One of the first things newly-installed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla looked into when he assumed office was to reopen the public’s access to SALNs. He then called on different government agencies that keep official copies of SALNs -- such as the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Office of the President, Congress, the Judiciary, and local government units (LGUs) -- to align their practices with the policy of transparency.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said he is ready anytime to make his SALN public.
He added that when he was the Senate President before, and they allowed access to the SALNs of the senators, subject to their individual approval. He also stated that they would like to hold a caucus and ask permission from the other senators.
"So this is not new to us. The only variation is we redact the addresses of their properties," he said.
Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan also welcomed the idea.
"Yes, welcome ito dahil klaro naman sa batas ang pagsasapubliko ng mga SALN (Yes, this is welcome because the law clearly requires the public disclosure of SALNs)," he said.
In a post on X, he stated that Remulla should begin by releasing the SALN of former Ombudsman Martires, from the time he assumed office as a Supreme Court Justice up to his retirement as Ombudsman in 2025.
"Baka sakali magkaalaman na bakit tutol ito sa paglabas ng SALN (Maybe then we’ll finally find out why he’s opposed to making SALNs public)," he added.
Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito said that this is timely as the "public is longing for transparency in the wake of the floodgate scandals that rocked the government."
Ejercito also echoed Sotto's appeal not to disclose some vital information with regard to security issues for safety purposes.
Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said it's a welcome development because it's easier for the people who want to know how much their public servants are earning and what businesses they have.
"And in light of what's happening right now, na maraming mga nasasangkot sa flood control projects, may mga related sa contractors. In fact, diba sa COA mayroong commissioner na related sa contractor, maganda na magkaroon ng full disclosure through the SALN (And in light of what’s happening right now — with many being linked to flood control projects and some connected to contractors — in fact, there’s even a COA commissioner related to a contractor, it would be good to have full disclosure through the SALN)," he added.
Sen. Paolo "Bam" Aquino IV said that when he first entered government 24 years ago, there was already a SALN requirement, and it just disappeared over the years.
"Magandang hakbang ito para masimulan na ang paglilinis ng ating gobyerno. Itong pagiging normal ng transparency mahalaga ito. At sana nga isa ito sa mga unang hakbang patungo sa hinahanap ng taumbayan na mas malinis na gobyerno sa ating bansa (This is a good step toward cleaning up our government. Making transparency a normal practice is important, and I hope this becomes one of the first steps toward the clean government our people have long been hoping for)," Aquino said.
"At sana nga isa ito sa mga unang hakbang patungo sa hinahanap ng taumbayan na mas malinis na gobyerno sa ating bansa (And hopefully this is one of the first steps towards what the people are looking for, a cleaner government in our country)," Aquino added.
Senator Risa Hontiveros strongly supports and welcomes the removal of the unjust, unconstitutional and anti-people restrictions on access to public officials’ SALNs.
"As always, I am willing to release my SALN, in accordance with Senate rules and policies," she said.
Hontiveros added that the 1987 Constitution, along with a number of present laws, requires the filing and disclosure of SALNs for a very good reason: "May karapatan ang taumbayan na bantayan ang gawain ng mga lider ng pamahalaan, lalo na ukol sa korapsyon at tagong yaman (The people have the right to keep watch over the actions of government leaders, especially when it comes to corruption and hidden wealth)."
"Ngayong mainit ang galit ng publiko dahil sa nakakalulang kurapsyon sa gobyerno, magandang hakbang ang pagbubukas ng SALNs sa pagpapalakas ng transparency at accountability na hinahanap ng lahat (Now that public anger is running high over the staggering corruption in government, opening up the SALNs is a good step toward strengthening the transparency and accountability that everyone is calling for)," she added.
She also stated that the new rules should be applied equally on all public officials - from the highest to the lowest, past or present - even with reasonable limitations related to personal or sensitive information and security.
Meanwhile, from the minority bloc, Senator Robinhood Padilla said he is willing for his SALN to be the first one disclosed.
"Ngayon na maglabasan ng SALN, tanggapin ng Senado ang hamon ng bagong ombudsman! Unahin niyo na po ilabas yun sa akin! (Now that SALNs are being released, the Senate should accept the challenge of the new Ombudsman! Start by releasing mine!)" he added.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said that SALNs are sent to him, but they don't forward them to the Ombudsman.
"The OSEC (Office of the Senate Secretary) is the repository of the SALN of senators," Bantug said.