From public to ‘proper authority’: Will Marcos release SALN? 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is “ready to give and show” his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) to the “proper authority” — a seeming step back from a bold declaration the President himself had made just two week ago.

“[The President] is ready to hand over and show his SALN to the proper authority,” said Palace press briefer Undersecretary Claire Castro on Sunday, October 26, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Malaysia.

(Quotes have been translated from Filipino to English.)

“There are rules and procedures that the Ombudsman had earlier released. All requests for SALN will be entertained but there are certain guidelines [to follow],” added Castro.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, speaking to reporters in a chance interview on Saturday, October 25, said that although the Constitution defines the SALN as a public document, “we cannot just allow the indiscriminate freedom to access these SALNs.”

“You must all take note that SALN contains details that may compromise the security, safety of the public officials concerned,” Bersamin told reporters, adding that “the purpose must be legitimate because we do not want the SALN to be a weapon because that will deter the service to the public sector.”

On October 15, Marcos said he would follow “old rules” in allowing public access to his SALN, a document all government officials, both elected and appointed are required to submit. Marcos made the statement after his former justice chief, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, eased restrictions his predecessor had imposed under the previous Rodrigo Duterte administration.

“We’re just going back to the old procedure and we will follow that, whatever happens. My SALN… if they ask me for my SALN, of course I will give it to them,” said Marcos then.

In the same interview, the President said he was surprised that the rules had changed in the first place. Marcos did not hold public office from 2016 to 2022, or after he lost the 2016 vice presidential race.

Remulla’s first memorandum as Ombudsman allowed the public to access SALNs for “inspection and reproduction.”

It’s through the regular release of SALNs that the media, civil society, and ordinary citizens are able to scrutinize the wealth of public officials, both elected and appointed.

The President earlier also said his Cabinet was expected to agree for public access to their SALNs as well.

Castro, speaking to media on October 26, said Cabinet members had an “informal meeting” on October 25. Marcos’ alter-egos had gathered at Villamor airbase to send the President off for his ASEAN engagements.

During that meeting, said Castro, Cabinet officials agreed they would respond based on the procedures set forth by their former colleague, the Ombudsman. – Rappler.com