Opposition solons file reso calling for public disclosure of SALNs of House members

Four opposition lawmakers belonging to the Reform bloc filed a resolution calling for the public disclosure of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of House members.

Akbayan lawmakers Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña and Dadah Ismula as well as Dinagat Representative Arlene "Kaka" Bag-ao, who already made the copies of their SALNs public, made the call under their House Resolution 217 filed on Wednesday, September 10, saying public disclosure of SALNs is in the interest of transparency and accountability.

The lawmakers noted that while the Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees expressly mandates that SALNs must be made available for inspection at reasonable hours and for copying after 10 working days from the time they are filed subject to prescribed regulations, this provision of the law is hardly observed.

“Recent flooding has raised serious concerns about irregularities in the implementation of flood control projects, including allegations of ghost projects, overpriced contracts, questionable bidding practices, and the involvement of relatives or close associates of public officials. Members of the House of Representatives must lead by example by demonstrating their commitment to ethical conduct and accountability, thereby setting the tone for other public officials and employees,” the Resolution read.

“This [SALN public disclosure] will be done without making publicly accessible the House members' or their relatives' and companies' addresses, their signatures and ID details, the exact location of their real properties, and other information that, if made publicly accessible, may pose risks to the Members' physical security,” they added.

In addition, the lawmakers said public disclosure of SALNs is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vow to expose and prosecute corruption in flood control projects and subsequent order to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct lifestyle checks on all government officials.

“Now, therefore, it is resolved that the Secretary General of the House of Representatives be directed to make public the duly filed SALNs of the Members of the House of Representatives, consistent with the letter and spirit of the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act No. 6713,” the lawmakers said.

Article 11, Section 1, Article 1 of the Constitution provides that "public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”

Article 11, Section 17 of the Constitution also requires public officers and employees, upon assumption of office and as often thereafter as may be required by law, to submit a declaration under oath of their SALN.

Back in September 2020, then Ombudsman Samuel Martires restricted the public’s access to SALN of public officials by issuing a memo requiring the consent of the SALN's owner before granting a request for a copy of the SALN. 

The September 2020 Ombudsman memo states that the copy of the SALN will be furnished to the requester if:

• he/she is the declarant or the duly authorized representative of the declarant;
• the request is upon lawful order of the court in relation to a pending case; and
• the request is made by the Ombudsman's Field Investigation Office/Bureau/Unit (FIO/FIB/FIU) for the purpose of conducting fact-finding investigation.

“In all other instances, no SALN will be furnished to the requester unless he/she presents a notarized letter of authority from the declarant allowing the release of the requested SALN,” the memo read.

GMA News Online has asked the Ombudsman if the memo restricting SALN access is still in effect since Martires’ term already expired last July, but the Ombudsman is yet to respond to multiple queries both by GMA News Online and other journalists. —KG, GMA Integrated News