Resolution seeks to publicize lawmakers’ SALN

A COALITION of lawmakers on Wednesday filed a resolution at the House of Representatives seeking to publicize the net worth statements of all congressmen.

House Resolution No. 271 by Akbayan Party-list Representatives seeks to direct the House Secretary-General to divulge the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) documents of lawmakers to allow the public to scrutinize their properties amid congressional probes into anomalous flood control deals.

“By making our SALNs open to public scrutiny, we are showing the people that we have nothing to hide and everything to account for,” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel Tadeo “Chel” I. Diokno said in a statement.

The resolution seeks to enforce a law mandating the release of SALNs if requested. A 2020 Ombudsman memorandum restricted access to the net worth statements, curtailing the public from scrutinizing officials’ assets. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio