Tito Sotto, other senators open to show their SALNs to public

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and several senators on Wednesday expressed readiness to make their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) open to the public, after the Ombudsman lifted the restriction on access to such documents.

While he said he is ready "anytime" to make his SALN available to the public, Sotto said he would still consult his fellow senators on the matter.

"When I was SP before, we allowed the access to the SALNs of the senators subject to their individual approval and so this is not new to us. The only variation is we redact the addresses of their properties," the Senate President explained.

He said senators will hold a caucus soon to discuss their preferences on opening their SALNs.

"Yes likely. I will seek their permission," Sotto added.

The Office of the Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday issued a memo scrapping the restriction on access to the SALN of public officials.

The Ombudsman's memo on the SALN covers the President, Vice President, the heads of Constitutional Offices, and local government officials since the Ombudsman is the official repository of the SALNs of these public officials. 

The new policy is a reversal of the 2020 memo issued by Remulla's predecessor, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, who restricted the access to SALN by requiring the consent of the SALN owner for disclosure, among other restrictions.

'Very open'

Several senators, meanwhile, also said they were willing to make their SALNs available to the public, if requested, citing the need to regain the public's trust with the government.

For Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, public officials should not raise any issues with the policy if they have nothing to hide. 

"I'm very open," Gatchalian said in an ambush interview. "This is one way of bringing the confidence of the public back to government. Dahil ngayon, walang kumpiyansa ang tao (Because right now, the public do not have trust with the government).

He also said he sees no security concerns with opening SALNs, as long as personal information such as home addresses are redacted. 

Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, also said reopening SALNs to the public is timely as Filipinos are "longing for transparency in the wake of the floodgate scandals that rocked the government."

For his part, Senator Bam Aquino said the policy would be a good way to cleanse the government for transparency purposes. 

"Nararapat lang na ibalik ito ng Ombudsman na ang mga SALN ay dapat isasapubliko. 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," Aquino said. 

(It is only appropriate for the Ombudsman to make the SALN open again to the public. This is a good step to start cleansing our government. This normality of transparency is important. And hopefully this is one of the first steps in building a cleaner government.) 

Senator Risa Hontiveros said she fully supports the removal of the restrictions on access to public officials' SALNs, which she described as "unjust, unconstitutional and anti-people."

"As always, I am willing to release my SALN, in accordance with Senate rules and policies," Hontiveros said.

"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," she added. 

(Now that the public is angry because of rampant corruption in the government, the opening of SALNs is a good step in strengthening the transparency and accountability that everyone is looking for.) 

Ex-Ombudsman Martires 'first' 

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan also welcomed the development, believing that it will help prevent corruption in the government.

"Definitely. Kasi ang anti-graft laws natin kapag hindi commensurate sa income 'yung wealth, prima facie evidence na 'yun na ill-gotten. It's now on the part of [the responsibilities of a] public official na patunayan na hindi ill-gotten ‘yun," Pangilinan said. 

(Definitely. Because based on our anti-graft laws, when wealth is not commensurate with income, that is prima facie evidence that it is ill-gotten. It's now on the part of [the responsibilities of a] public official to prove that it is not ill-gotten.)

Pangilinan also said the SALN of Martires should be released first, following the new Ombudsman's memo. 

"Unahin niya ilabas 'yung SALN ni dating Ombudsman Martires mula nu'ng umupo ito bilang Supreme Court Justice hanggang sa pagbaba nito sa puwesto bilang Ombudsman itong 2025. Baka sakali magkaalaman na bakit tutol ito sa paglabas ng SALN," he said. 

(The SALN of former Ombudsman Martires should be released first, starting from when he sat as Supreme Court Justice until he stepped down as Ombudsman this 2025. We might be able to find out why he was against the release of the SALN.) 

Robin volunteers 

Senator Robin Padilla, meanwhile, volunteered to release his SALN first. 

“Katulad ng aking talumpati sa plenaryo ng Senado patungkol sa Freedom of Information, ngayon na maglabasan ng SALN, tanggapin ng Senado ang hamon ng bagong Ombudsman! Unahin niyo na po ilabas ‘yung sa akin,” Padilla said in a Facebook post. 

(As I am pushing for Freedom of Information, the senators should accept the challenge of the new Ombudsman to release their SALN. You may release mine first.) 

Senator Joel Villanueva said he also supports Remulla’s policy shift, emphasizing that he will "support anti-corruption initiatives and policies that uphold honest, transparent, and accountable governance."

“Access to public documents, such as the [SALN], promotes greater openness and strengthens the mechanisms for accountability among public officials, in keeping with the government’s continuing effort to combat corruption in the public sector,” the senator said. 

Villanueva is one of the lawmakers being implicated in the flood control mess. He has repeatedly denied allegations that he received commissions for such projects. — VDV/RSJ, GMA Integrated News