Members of the Akbayan Partylist have expressed support for the Ombudsman’s recent directive to make the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) of government officials publicly accessible.
In a media interview on Friday, October 17, Akbayan Youth Secretary General Khylla Meneses said the group welcomes the Ombudsman’s move toward greater transparency.
“We welcome po ‘yong paglabas ng Ombudsman sa pagbibigay ng access sa SALN,” Meneses said.
However, she emphasized that the measure should go further by making the SALNs readily available to the public without requiring formal requests or approval from government officials.
“Dapat ito ay binibigyan ng access ‘yong ating mga kababayan na walang kahit anong pahintulot mula sa ating public officials,” she stressed.
Meneses also highlighted the importance of public visibility in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s (ICI) ongoing investigations, calling for the proceedings to be livestreamed for transparency.
“Mahalaga po ang pag-livestream o pag-open ng ICI na pagdating sa investigation dahil dito po natin mababantayan kung ano ang mga totoong nangyayari sa investigation,” she explained.
She added that civil society organizations, students, and the youth must actively take part in monitoring government spending and ensuring accountability.
“Mahalaga po ang participation ng civil society organization, mga estudyante at kabataan sa mga nangyayari sa pagbabantay ng pondo ng ating bayan,” Meneses concluded.
The statement coincided with Akbayan’s White Ribbon protest and Noise Barrage held Friday morning at Kamias corner EDSA, Quezon City. The event was joined by members of Akbayan Partylist, Tindig Pilipinas, and Youth Against Kurakot (YAK), who distributed white ribbons to passing motorists as a call for clean and transparent governance.