Ombudsman to comply with House subpoena on VP Duterte SALNs

The Office of the Ombudsman will comply with the House Committee on Justice’s subpoena for documents requiring the submission of Vice President Sara Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) covering all her years in public office, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Thursday.

“Yes, we will comply. When we first came into office, we gave the public access to the SALNs of public officers. In that same statement, we even encouraged other branches of government to do the same—to make SALNs public because these are public documents,” Clavano said in a press conference.

He said the Ombudsman allows any person to request the SALN of public officials in its custody—including the President, Vice President, heads of constitutional commissions, and local officials.

"Even a simple request would do—so much more if it is backed by a subpoena. We will comply,” he said.

Clavano was referring to an Ombudsman memorandum that removed the requirement for the SALN owner’s consent before the document may be released, provided the request is deemed meritorious.

The House issued the subpoena for the Vice President’s SALNs covering the following periods:

• 2007 to 2013
• 2016 to 2022
• 2022 to 2024

Duterte served as Davao City vice mayor from 2007 to 2010, and as mayor from 2010 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022, before being elected Vice President in 2022.

The House justice panel issued the subpoena in connection with allegations in two impeachment complaints accusing the Vice President of amassing unexplained wealth.

Earlier, panel member and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said scrutiny of the Vice President’s SALNs—as well as her and her husband’s tax records and company finances—is not a fishing expedition, as these documents are crucial in determining whether her wealth was legally acquired.

“The facts are very clear. The Vice President has to explain the discrepancy between her net worth in 2007 and in 2024, as stated in her SALNs," Ridon said in a news conference.

"There is a wealth gap between her accumulated salary—amounting to P30 million to P50 million—and her P88 million net worth in 2024,” he added.

Ridon said the increase in net worth could be explained by the audit and financial statements of the companies involving the Vice President and her husband, as reflected in her SALN.—MCG, GMA Integrated News