THE Office of the Ombudsman has formally reopened to public access the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of government officials and called on other branches of the government to align their practices with this new policy.
In a statement read by Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV, the Ombudsman said the new policy is guided by a simple principle: ‘The public has a legitimate right to know how those in government acquire and manage their wealth.’
‘As the Ombudsman has emphasized, transparency is the name of the game. At a time when trust in institutions is tested, the best way to rebuild confidence is through openness backed by concrete access to information,’ the statement read.
The Ombudsman also urged all agencies that keep official copies of SALNs such as the Civil Service Commission, the Office of the President, Congress, the Judiciary, and local government units-to do the same.
‘Consistency across institutions is key; selective transparency only breeds suspicion,’ the Ombudsman said.
On Tuesday, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla issued a new memorandum circular providing guidelines on public access to SALNs filed with his office.
The new circular effectively rescinded Memorandum Circular No. 1 issued by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires which restricted public’s access to SALNs of elected officials.
Under the Memorandum Circular No.1 issued by Martires, SALNs were only to be released if the request was made by the government official concerned, or his or her representative; if it was legally ordered by the court in relation to a pending case; and if it was made through the Office of the Ombudsman’s field investigation office for the purpose of a fact-finding probe.
However, under the new memorandum circular SALNs filed with the Ombudsman will be made available to the public for inspection and reproduction after they have been processed and recorded into the official repository but not earlier than 10 working days after the final submission deadline from all government agencies.
It also requires agency heads to collect and submit SALNs of their personnel to the Ombudsman, along with a summary report, by May 31 every year, without a grace period except in cases of force majeure or other meritorious grounds.
A request for a copy of SALN must be filed with any public assistance and corruption prevention office (PACPO) at the central office of the Ombudsman or any public assistance corruption prevention bureau’s sectoral offices which will then be forwarded to the appropriate office within the Ombudsman.
The circular added that all requests for SALNs must be made by filling up the prescribed request form and that the requesting party must present two identification cards.
The circular also said that a request for SALN may be denied based on the following reasons: If the Ombudsman is not the official repository; the requested SALN is not on file; 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 the purpose is contrary to law, morals or public policy.
‘All requests shall be acted upon within a reasonable period,’ the circular stated.
Likewise, under the new guidelines, the Ombudsman will redact or omit sensitive personal details from any SALN copy released to the public to protect the privacy of the declarant and their family.
These include the complete home address, names, and birth details of minor children, signatures, and government-issued identification numbers of the declarant and their spouse.
For those who intend to use the SALN for media reports or for public dissemination, the requesting party is required to submit a copy or accessible link of their published work to the Ombudsman within five calendar days from.
‘Non-submission of the required output may be considered a violation of the requesting party’s undertaking and shall be a ground for denying future SALN requests from the same individual or organization.’