Akbayan Party, along with civil society and youth leaders, went to the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday to submit a letter requesting the release of the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) of top government officials.
The request was filed ahead of the effectivity of Memorandum Circular No. 3 on 15 November 2025, which lifts restrictions on public access to public officials’ SALNs. Among those requested are the SALNs of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, and other Constitutional Commission officials.
“For us, this is a test of the government’s seriousness in ensuring that transparency and accountability are the rule of the land, especially in the face of massive corruption scandals,” Akbayan National President Rafaela David said in a mix of English and Filipino.
David stressed that it is vital for the public to have access to these documents to scrutinize the wealth of the country’s highest officials.
“It’s important that we see the SALNs of our top officials in order to have public scrutiny of their wealth. Is it underdeclared, or are we seeing unexplained wealth — especially when compared to their expected income?” she said.
Before Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s appointment, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires had restricted public access to SALNs under Memorandum Circular No. 1 in September 2020.
According to Akbayan, they also requested the SALN of Martires to determine whether there was any malicious intent behind his decision to restrict access during his term.
“Part of our letter request is to release the SALN of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires because he was the one who issued this memo (Circular No. 1). Maybe he has something to hide,” David said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, Clergy for Good Governance member Fr. Robert Reyes echoed Akbayan’s call, saying that publicizing the SALNs of top officials would allow citizens to compare their declared wealth with their visible assets.
“This is the call of the Church, because the people we serve have nothing, and we live only on donations, which we give to those who have nothing. Then you’ll learn that some officials who don’t declare their SALNs take what should’ve been for the poor,” Reyes said.
The group urged the concerned officials to release their SALNs even before the new memorandum takes effect.
“I hope they don’t wait for the Ombudsman to release their SALNs. We hope they personally make them public. Our top officials should set a good example and show their commitment to transparency and accountability,” David said.