The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday expressed its support for the Office of the Ombudsman’s latest memorandum removing barriers to public access to the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of government officials.
“The Supreme Court upholds the public’s constitutional right to access information, records, and documents in its custody, subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law,” the SC said in a statement.
The High Court recalled its 2012 ruling, which affirmed that the public’s access to the SALN, Personal Data Sheet (PDS), and Curriculum Vitae (CV) of public officials — including members of the judiciary — is covered by the constitutional right to information, though subject to limitations under Republic Act No. 6713, its implementing rules, and the Court’s own internal regulations.
Under Administrative Matter No. 09-8-6-SC, requests for copies of the SALN, PDS, and CV of Supreme Court justices must be filed through the Office of the Clerk of Court and are subject to the approval of the Court En Banc.
The SC added that requests must be submitted in writing using the official request form available on its website, which must clearly state the purpose for obtaining the information.
Requests from members of the media must also include proof of media affiliation and accreditation, the Court said.
The Supreme Court also confirmed that it is updating its policies and request forms to align with current transparency and data-access standards.
Meanwhile, according to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the heads of personnel or administrative units are required to forward all original SALN copies to the appropriate repository offices. For Supreme Court justices, that office is the Clerk of Court of the SC.