Senate Secretary Renato Bantug clarified that only the summary of senators’ Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) may be made available to the public.
In an official statement released by Bantug, he explained that this policy aims to protect the privacy of senators and their families.
“As reiterated by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, all requests for access to the Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of incumbent senators shall be governed by Police Order No. 2019-001 (OSP) on the release or posting of the SALN Summaries of senators,” said Bantug.
He further emphasized that certain personal information of lawmakers should not be disclosed in public documents.
“To uphold the privacy of the declarants and their families, and in accordance with the principle of proportionality, personal details such as home addresses, names and birth date of minor children, signatures of declarants, and their government-issued identification numbers, shall be redacted from statements,” Bantug added.
Recently, Senator Erwin Tulfo expressed confidence that the Senate majority bloc would agree to release their SALNs, saying they had “nothing to hide.”
“Nakakita ko naman sa majority ay nagkakasundo naman kami lahat na wala namang itatago. So okay lang din sa amin sa majority na ilabas yung aming SALN,” Tulfo said in a recent radio interview.
Regarding the redaction of personal details, Tulfo said some senators suggested removing certain sensitive information from their disclosures.
“May mga mambabatas na sinasabi na may mga redactions sa kanilang SALN tulad ng mga address… Baka pwedeng alisin yun. Pero yung total na assets, liabilities mo at net worth, ilalabas pa rin,” he explained.
The clarification from the Senate came shortly after newly appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla issued a memorandum rescinding the 2020 circular of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, which had required notarized written consent from public officials before their SALNs could be released to the public.