By Benjamin Pulta | Philippine News Agency
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday said his office will be issuing a memorandum next week to make the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of public officials accessible to the public.
“It’s going to be policy, hinahanda lang namin ang mechanics. Baka next week baka puwede na,” Remulla said in a press briefing.
“We might start releasing this (SALN) already. I will ask them to make available this information, but of course, we need requesting parties to ask for specific information, not the whole file,” he added.
He said they might redact some information from the SALNs to prevent it from being weaponized.
He said a requester must also provide an undertaking on how the information will be used.
Remulla added that since under the rules, SALN information must be available 10 days after filing and up to 10 years after it is filed, he is amenable to granting access to information even to incumbent public officials, subject to national security and privacy considerations.
“It’s public information, and we talk about transparency. Let’s go all the way. Lahat yan, pati kami,” he said when asked if the policy includes former President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte, and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“I want to open this office to the public,” he added.
Remulla also announced intended reforms in his office, including the possible reshuffle of personnel.
He said that movement of personnel is inevitable and “sleepy” employees will be roused.
“That (personnel movement) goes with the territory. Siyempre, it’s a matter of trust and confidence. It’s a work in progress. Meron naman nagtutulog-tulogan pa, gigisingin natin yan,” Remulla said.
He said he also wants to improve the Ombudsman’s performance in its non-prosecutorial functions of improving efficiency in government, including reviving the resident ombudsman in government offices.
“(I want to) improve the way the office conducts business, because I really believe that one overlooked aspect is the proactive aspect. The origin of the Ombudsman is as the protector of the people and we have to protect public interest all the time,” he said.
He also plans to explore expanding the use of cyber warrants on data available from subjects of an investigation.
