MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has greenlit at least 1,655 requests for the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of public officials as part of a renewed commitment to government transparency.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla emphasized that public access to these financial disclosures is crucial for accountability and upholding the public’s right to information, though he noted that released documents are appropriately redacted to comply with data privacy laws.
This open-access approach marks a direct reversal of the previous administration’s restrictive rules, which previously required public servants’ consent and penalized public commentary on their assets.
“One of my first acts as Ombudsman was to tear down the barriers to the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of public officials. For years, the public was told to ask the official’s permission before seeing what that official owned. We ended that,” Remulla stated, reflecting on his appointment last year.
Remulla also called on various government agencies to fully embrace digitization and transparency, warning that public officials who obstruct these efforts could face administrative liabilities.
Alongside broader financial transparency, the Ombudsman’s office has instituted specialized training programs to strengthen its anti-corruption measures. A total of 60 investigators have recently completed the Field Investigation Course, which trains personnel in digital evidence gathering, financial tracking, witness protection, and project inspection.
According to Remulla, upgrading investigative capabilities is essential for dismantling high-level corruption schemes orchestrated by influential personalities.
“Because the people we are going after have the best lawyers money can buy, and the only answer to that is a case so complete that no lawyer can break it,” he stressed.
Additionally, the Ombudsman urged institutional reform leaders to adopt a proactive stance on corruption prevention by actively embedding integrity programs across different government bodies.
“To those who lead our reforms and programs: do not wait for corruption to happen. Take prevention to every agency. Make integrity something every public servant knows, and something every citizen expects,” Remulla concluded.