SALNs to be digitized; public to gain access by Nov. 15
The Office of the Ombudsman is set to digitize copies of the SALNs of government officials in an effort to give the public perpetual access to the documents and to better track their wealth.
Public access to the digitized copies of all existing SALNs will begin on Nov. 15.
The order is in line with Memorandum Circular No. 3, series of 2025, which was issued in October by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla. According to the memo, the public may gain access to officials’ SALNs without having to request permission from the SALN owner.
Section 3(c) of MC No. 3 states that “the existing inventories of SALNs on file with the Office of the Ombudsman shall not be destroyed and shall be digitally stored.”
“This is an attempt of the Ombudsman’s office to advocate for transparency as a general policy,” said assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano at a press briefing on Nov. 3, as reported by The Philippine STAR.
“Once filed, we will keep [SALNs] physically for 20 years. But after that, as long as we have a digital record, that will be there virtually forever,” added Clavano.
He also noted that the use of SALNs as evidence for a crime has a 20-year limit, which is the period for filing cases under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019).
However, there is no time limit if the SALNs will be used only to compare the growth of officials’ wealth.
MC No. 3 takes effect on Nov. 15, having completed the two-week period after publication in a newspaper of general circulation on Oct. 31.
All SALN requests can be made using the official SALN Request Form available at the website of the Office of the Ombudsman. They can be filed with the Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office either at the ombudsman’s central office or at area or sectoral offices.
Remulla’s latest memo overturns MC No. 1, series of 2020 issued by former ombudsman Samuel Martires, which required consent by the SALN owner or a court order before SALNs could be released to the public. The previous memo also mandated that physical SALNs be destroyed 10 years after being filed. It did not require SALNs to be digitally stored.
Remulla’s call for transparency of officials’ SALNs came amid the current flood control scandal being investigated by the Senate.
As of Oct. 29, all 24 senators of the 20th Congress have made their 2024 SALNs public. Sen. Mark Villar has been shown to be the richest among them, with a net worth of P1.26 billion. Following closely is Sen. Raffy Tulfo, worth P1.052 billion.
On the other hand, as of the last week of October, 16 out of 318 members of the House of Representatives have released their SALNs.
