Memo Issued by Office of Ombudsman Boying Remulla on SALNs of Gov’t Officials
Ombudsman Boying Remulla restored the public access to the government officials’ SALNs or Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
Amid the flood control issue in the Philippines, Pres. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appointed a new Ombudsman — former Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. He was one of the 7 applicants for Ombudsman stated in the shortlist submitted by the Judiciary and Bar Council (JBC) to the President.
According to JBC, there were 17 individuals who applied to be the next Ombudsman. With the appointment of the President, Remulla is succeeding former Ombudsman Samuel Martires who retired in July.
Immediately after he took his oath as the country’s chief graft-buster, Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that his office will issue a memorandum that will lift the restrictions on the access to the SALNs of government officials.
Recently, the said memo that restores the public access on the SALNs of government officials was released by the office of Ombudsman Boying Remulla. Based on a post of PhilStar, the changes reverses the 2020 circular under former Ombudsman Samuel Martires that requires a consent from the government officials before the opening of their SALNs.
The development was announced by newly-installed Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano. He stressed that the public has the right to know.
“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,” Clavano said.
Based on the report, following the memo issued by the office of Ombudsman Boying Remulla, as of today, there is no need for consent on the part of the government official whose SALN is being requested to be opened. Among the SALNs that are filed in the office are those of the president, the vice president, the officials of the local government, and the officers of Constitutional Commissions.
“The only thing that the requesting party needs to show is ID, and to make sure that he is not a fictitious person, that he is indeed the person that he purports to be, given the IDs,” the Assistant Ombudsman said.
Under his lead, Ombudsman Remulla previously admitted seeing prosecution for those who deserve it.