MANILA – The Office of the Ombudsman is following its new set of guidelines with regards to the release of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), said Palace spokesperson Harry Roque.
“We leave (the release of President Duterte’s SALN) to the Office of the Ombudsman,” Roque said during Malacanang’s virtual press conference on Monday. “Hindi naman siguro ‘yun (breaking the long tradition of Ombudsman release President’s SALN).”
“May bago pong guidelines na sinusunod ang Ombudsman, dahil Constitutional body ito ay dapat sundin natin ang kanilang guidelines,” he added. “That is the directive (of the Ombudsman), I suggest you comply with it.”
The Ombudsman, with its Memorandum Circular 1, has blocked public access as well as public inspection at reasonable hours of the SALN – the first time since the law mandating public disclosure of these records was passed in 1989.
President Duterte’s 2018 and 2019 SALN should have been made public within 10 days from the day they were filed, but this was the first time in 30 years that the Ombudsman prevented its release./PN
