Senator Robinhood Padilla on Wednesday, 15 October, said he is volunteering to be the first in line in publicizing his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) following the ombudsman's revision of the policy that restricted the document.

"Unahin niyo na po ilabas yun sa akin (Let my SALN be the first to be open to the public)," Padilla said in a statement.

He also urged fellow senators to accept what he described as a challenge from the ombudsman.

"Ngayon na maglabasan ng SALN, tanggapin ng Senado ang hamon ng bagong Ombudsman (Senators should accept the challenge of the new Ombudsman and release their SALNs now)," he added.

Issuing his first memorandum of circular as the newly minted Ombudsman, Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla overturned the order of his predecessor, Samuel Martires, that limited access to SALNs under the Ombudsman's jurisdiction.

'Effort to combat corruption'

Senator Joel Villanueva, meanwhile, called the move a "continuing effort to combat corruption in the public sector."

"Access to public documents, such as the SALN, promotes greater openness and strengthens the mechanisms for accountability among public officials, in keeping with the government’s continuing effort to combat corruption in the public sector," Villanueva stressed.

He also expressed his support for Remulla's policy shift to what he called transparency and accountability.

The senator likewise vowed to continue supporting anti-corruption initiatives and policies that "uphold honest, transparent, and accountable governance."