The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) stands in solidarity with the public in calling for government officials to release their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) and reiterates that transparency and accountability is mandatory, not voluntary.
The SALN is a pertinent document that lists the properties and assets of sitting government officials. In 2020, under the Duterte administration, former Ombudsman Samuel Martires restricted public access through a memorandum by requiring a notarized written consent from government officials before their SALNs are released to the requesting party. This led to serious difficulties in accessing the SALNs and allowed government officials to elude public scrutiny.
As the lavish lifestyles of contractors involved in the flood control corruption scandals are exposed–along with the names of former and sitting senators and congressmen—the public clamor for the release of SALNs has only strengthened. So too has the call for officials to be transparent about their service and the lives they live—funded with taxpayers’ money.
But it seems that government officials, including Marcos Jr., is still contemplating whether the release of SALNs will be voluntary or not. CPDG asserts that government documents, including SALNs, should never be hidden from the public. The salaries, projects, and programs funded with taxpayers’ money should be visible and accessible to the people–not conspicuously buried under tedious requirements.
Billions are lost in corruption, yet the increasingly critical Filipino masses are reprimanded for expressing outrage and demanding accountability even as the substandard or non-existent projects have cost lives, properties and livelihoods; and billions of taxpayer’s money pocketed could have funded vital social services on health, education, including climate infrastructure and programs to improve the lives of the Filipino people.
CPDG reiterates that good governance is built on transparency and accountability. Releasing the SALNs to the public strengthens trust in government institutions by ensuring that officials’ financial records are open to scrutiny and that they can be held accountable for any unexplained assets. CPDG demands honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability—all essential elements of good governance to maintain a truly democratic and genuine public service.
Release all SALNs now!
Hold plunderers and liars accountable!
Defend people right to transparency and good governance!
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