Statement of Malacañang on SALN of Marcos Jr. amid Calls for its “Full Disclosure”
MARCOS JR. – Malacañang claimed that President Bongbong Marcos is willing to submit and show his SALN only to the “proper authorities”.
Amid the flood control mess in the Philippines, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla restored the public access to the SALN of the government officials by lifting the restriction set during the term of retired former Ombudsman Samuel Martires. The Office of the Ombudsman is the repository for the SALNs of the president, the vice president, the Constitutional commissions, and the local government officials.
Ombudsman Remulla highlighted in the memorandum that his office has issued that “public office is a public trust”. Aside from restoring the public access on the SALNs of the government officials, the country’s chief graft-buster also requested the senators to voluntarily disclose their SALNs.
Several senators heed the call of the Office of the Ombudsman. Sen. Risa Hontiveros declared a net worth of P18.9 million in 2024 based on her SALN while Sen. Robin Padilla declared a P244-million net worth with no liabilities. Sen. Ping Lacson also bared his SALN that showed the massive growth his net worth by nearly P200 million in just three (3) years.
Lacson claimed that the growth of his SALN was due to his business activities when he was not a senator. Amid the senators disclosing copies of their SALNs, there are calls for Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to also release a copy of his SALN.
Recently, Malacañang spoke on the calls for Marcos Jr. to release his own SALN. According to Palace press officer undersecretary Claire Castro, the President is willing to disclose his SALN to the “proper authorities”. The issuance is also based on the rules set by the Ombudsman.
“First of all, the President has already spoken and said that he is willing to submit and show his SALN to the proper authorities. There are existing rules and procedures set by the Office of the Ombudsman,” Castro said based on a report on Inquirer.
The clarification of the Palace official came after Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin junked the “indiscriminate freedom” for the public to access to the SALNs of the government officials. Based on the report, she stressed that Marcos Jr. stressed that requests for SALN disclosure will be granted.
“The President already said that all requests for SALNs will be granted. But there are certain guidelines provided by the Ombudsman. The executive will comply with these,” the Palace official added.
Based on the report, Atty. Claire Castro also revealed that the members of the Marcos Jr. Cabinet had an “informal meeting” on Saturday agreed to comply with the memorandum issued by Ombudsman Boying Remulla over the SALN disclosure.
Recently, Sen. Raffy Tulfo and his wife, Jocelyn, also disclosed their billion net worth based on their joint SALN.