Manila: Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday lifted restrictions on public access to the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) of government officials. "This decision is guided by a simple principle: the public has a legitimate right to know how those in government acquire and manage their wealth. Transparency in this area is not a slogan - it is a safeguard against corruption and a deterrent to abuse of power," the Office of the Ombudsman said in a statement.
According to Philippines News Agency, under Memorandum Circular 3, the SALNs filed with the Ombudsman shall be made available to the public for inspection and reproduction after they have been processed and recorded no earlier than 10 working days after the final submission deadline from all government agencies. A request for a copy of the SALN shall be filed with any Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office (PACPO) at the Central Office, or any Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Bureau (PACPB) at the area or sectoral offices.
The memorandum also covers lifestyle checks on public officers, where a requesting party who has evidence of assets manifestly disproportionate to the income of a public officer may file a formal complaint with the Ombudsman Field Investigation Office (FIO) in writing. Under the guidelines, a request shall be granted except when the SALN is not on file; when the request is for an unauthorized commercial purpose; the requesting party has a derogatory record of misuse; the request is linked to a pending case to influence or harass; there is evidence of extortion or safety threats; the identity of the requesting party is fictitious; or when the purpose is contrary to law, morals, or public policy.
The following information is also to be redacted from any SALN copy released to a requesting party: complete home address of the declarant; details of any children living in the declarant's household; the signature of the declarant; and the government-issued identification numbers of the declarant and co-declarant. The memorandum also obliges a requesting party to agree to an undertaking to share any "output," such as news reports arising from the use of the requested SALN.
The requesting party who publishes, broadcasts, or otherwise publicly disseminates any information derived from the obtained SALN must submit a copy of the output or link within five days from each publication. The output copy will be used for monitoring and record-keeping to maintain a record of how SALN information is utilized by the public and media; to verify that the stated purpose in the SALN request form was true; and to initiate an investigation if the output indicates potential misuse, misrepresentation, or a violation of the undertaking.
The circular takes effect 15 days after publication.
