Rowegie Abanto

Members of the progressive group Bunyog gather outside the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City on Tuesday to demand the release and publication of the SALNs of government officials allegedly involved in large-scale corruption. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

Members of the progressive group Bunyog gather outside the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City on Tuesday to demand the release and publication of the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) of government officials allegedly involved in large-scale corruption. The group calls for transparency and accountability, urging the Ombudsman to take decisive action and uphold the public’s right to information.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

GHOST FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176214319489820251021-anti-corruption-ombudsman-bunyog-MT3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Members of the progressive group Bunyog gather outside the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City on Tuesday to demand the release and publication of the SALNs of government officials allegedly involved in large-scale corruption. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Civil Service Commission should review the policies surrounding Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and update them to include more items in the document to capture the true lifestyle of a government official or employee, a University of the Philippines professor said Monday.</p><p>Cielo Magno, who teaches at the UP School of Economics and is a former Finance undersecretary, said SALNs have only become &quot;a compliance tool&quot; rather than an instrument for people to check the honesty of politicians&#x27; lifestyles.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/24/-what-is-in-a-saln-and-how-is-it-used-to-fight-corruption-1208">What is in a SALN, and how is it used to fight corruption?</a></div><div><strong></strong></div><p>&quot;The idea behind the SALN is to be able to compare what are the sources of your income. Ano ba talaga yung lifestyle na sinasabuhay mo (What kind of lifestyle are you really trying to lead), given your source of income? If there&#x27;s a significant difference, then it warrants a lifestyle check,&quot; Magno told ANC.<strong></strong><br/></p><p><strong></strong>&quot;Over the years, the SALN has failed to capture that lifestyle that needed to be checked,&quot; she said.</p><p>The SALN, in its current form, mandates a public official to declare their assets, liabilities, and net worth, as well as their financial and business interests, including those of their spouses and unmarried children under age 18.</p><p>In recent years, the document has been used by the public, especially journalists, to expose potential corruption by investigating a politician&#x27;s true assets and business ventures and comparing them to those declared in their SALNs.</p><p>Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla last month announced the restoration of public access to SALNs.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>EXPENDITURES, BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>For Magno, public officials&#x27; expenditures should also be included in the SALN to capture their lifestyles. She pointed out that some public servants regularly go abroad for vacation, and their children attend expensive schools for their studies. </p><p>&quot;Just the tuition fee alone... would reflect the real lifestyle,&quot; she said.</p><p>Magno also noted that the issue of beneficial ownership is not yet incorporated in the SALN. She said that the Philippines has no law yet on beneficial ownership, which &quot;means that your name may not appear in companies, but you&#x27;re actually the one benefitting from the proceeds of the operations.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The concept is already incorporated in the procurement law, but in other countries, the declaration of beneficial ownership is a standard practice,&quot; she said.</p><p>She also proposed a standardized valuation of assets and how to declare and enumerate them in the SALN.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>LIFESTYLE CHECK</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>All <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/29/all-24-senators-of-20th-congress-release-salns-1343">24 senators</a> and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/saln">several House members</a> have released their SALNs, which prompted mixed reactions from the public, including disbelief at the net worth declared by some of them.</p><p>&quot;More or less, the fact that we have this reaction with respect to the SALN, it also serves as a trigger. If the public finds it ridiculous, I think it should raise a red flag not just to us, the public, but also to the Ombudsman. Then it means that they should really start doing lifestyle checks,&quot; said Magno.</p><p>She said there should be &quot;greater coordination&quot; between agencies such as the Anti–Money Laundering Council<strong></strong>, the Commission on Audit, the Office of the Ombudsman, and that the document should also be digitized.</p><p>&quot;The problem is because all these documents are not digital it&#x27;s difficult for us to compare or to match. If all these documents are digital, the public has access to this information and then you attach your income tax madali nang mag-compare ng data and you can have validation,&quot; she added.</p><p>Following the uncovering of the flood control scandal, some have condemned how politicians and their families have allegedly enriched themselves through suspected corruption.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/28/biz-group-warns-of-crisis-of-trust-amid-flood-control-scandal-1105">Business group warns of &#x27;crisis of trust&#x27; amid flood control corruption scandal</a></div><p>But how can a government official lawfully grow their income? Magno said that public officials could boost their wealth by having investments and private businesses or when their assets suddenly increase their value.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;ve seen that every administration has a scandal. The problem is wala namang policy change na nangyayari (there is no policy change happening), and then we have the same people running the government. What is disappointing is that despite all these things that we are seeing, there is no concrete approach on how to change and address things,&quot; Magno said.</p><p>&quot;The reason why the economy is bad is because of bad governance,&quot; she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/8/political-dynasties-are-root-of-all-corruption-lawmaker-says-1415">Lawmaker says political dynasties are &#x27;root of all corruption,&#x27; pushes for &#x27;bold reforms&#x27; in government</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUGkOkSKi9U?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2GBRLbKpl4Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Cielo Magno said SALNs have only become "a compliance tool" rather than an instrument for people to check the honesty of politicians' lifestyles.</p>

Cielo Magno said SALNs have only become "a compliance tool" rather than an instrument for people to check the honesty of politicians' lifestyles.

Reforms needed as SALN 'failed' to capture true lifestyle of officials: UP professor

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Reforms needed as SALN 'failed' to capture true lifestyle of officials: UP professor

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 03, 2025 12:55 PM PHT

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Cielo Magno

SALN

Corruption

Edgar Erice

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