November 22, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Former ombudsman Samuel Martires’ wealth grew by 87 percent or P36.464 million in his seven years in office, according to his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).
Based on Martires’ entry SALN filed before the ombudsman on Sept. 5, 2018, he started his term with a net worth of P41.728 million, composed of P13.190 million in real properties and P28.538 million in personal properties. He declared zero liabilities.
Meanwhile, based on his exit SALN filed on July 28, Martires officially ended his term with a net worth of P78.192 million, composed of P1.558 million in real properties and P76.634 million in personal properties.
Martires’ personal properties included jewelry worth P1.650 million, vehicles (P1.538 million), paintings and antique collections (P500,000), furniture and fixtures (P75,000), appliances (P350,000), firearms (P350,000), cash on hand, bank deposits, bonds and mutual funds (P48.300 million), foreign currency ($7,000 or approximately P371,000) and inherited corporate shares (P23.500 million).
His real properties meanwhile included a house and lot in Quezon City acquired in 1983 for P1 million; another house and lot in Quezon City acquired in 1979 for P408,000; a residential land in Rizal acquired in 1996 for P150,000 and three inherited properties which included an agricultural land in Samar and two residential house and lots – one in Northern Samar and another in Baguio City.
His entry SALN computed the total amount of his real properties based on their current fair market value.
His succeeding annual SALNs as well as his exit SALN declared his real properties based on their total acquisition cost, which was at P1.558 million.
In his first five months in office, or from Aug. 6 to Dec. 31, 2018, Martires’ net worth grew to P57.064 million, .
By the end of 2020, Martires’ net worth grew to P65.454 million. It subsequently grew to P66.157 million by the end of 2021, P70.075 million by the end of 2022, P75.746 million by the end of 2023 and finally P78.192 million by the end of 2024, his last full year in office.
Martires’ net worth remained the same from Dec. 31, 2024 up to the end of his term on July 27.
In all his filed SALNs, Martires declared zero liabilities.