MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has granted more than 1,600 requests for Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) a year after the anti-graft office lifted the restrictions on access to these documents by the media and the public.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 14, the Office of the Ombudsman said that it had granted 1,655 SALN requests.
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“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,” Remulla said in a statement.
“For years, the public was told to ask the official's permission before seeing what that official owned. We ended that,” he added.
Remulla also stressed that making government officials' financial disclosures accessible to the public is vital to maintaining transparency and accountability.
“Ang yaman ng isang lingkod-bayan ay hindi pribadong usapin. Kapag pera ng bayan ang pinag-uusapan, may karapatan ang bayan na malaman,” he said.
(The wealth of a public servant is not a private matter. When it comes to the people's money, the people have a right to know.)
On Oct. 14, 2025, then newly appointed Ombudsman Remulla lifted the restriction on SALN access imposed by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
The previous requirement for access to an official’s SALN barred the public and the media from obtaining copies of officials’ disclosures without a notarized letter of authority from the declarant.