The recent decision by Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to reinstate public access to Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) marks a significant victory for government transparency in the Philippines. This move reverses previous restrictions that had limited public scrutiny of officials' wealth declarations.
Business and Civil Society Coalition Calls for Verification
Six of the country's most influential organizations have joined forces to demand that SALN disclosure be paired with mandatory lifestyle checks. The coalition includes the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Shareholders' Association of the Philippines, Justice Reform Initiative, and Institute for Solidarity in Asia.
These groups argue that SALNs alone provide incomplete transparency. Without verification through lifestyle audits, wealth declarations risk becoming mere paperwork that gets filed and forgotten rather than serving as genuine accountability tools.
How Lifestyle Checks Would Work
Lifestyle audits would examine discrepancies between officials' declared wealth and their actual living standards. In today's digital age, such verification has become increasingly feasible through examination of:
- Travel records and frequent destinations
- Luxury purchases and property acquisitions
- Social media activity showcasing wealth
- Vehicle registrations and other visible assets
The business coalition emphasizes that lifestyle checks would transform SALNs from static documents into dynamic instruments of public trust. When officials know their lifestyles will be scrutinized, they will think twice before engaging in illicit enrichment.
Economic and Governance Implications
This demand for enhanced accountability comes from organizations representing sectors that drive economic growth, create jobs, and sustain the Philippine economy. Their position reflects both moral and economic imperatives, as corruption directly undermines competitiveness and deters foreign investment.
Other countries have successfully implemented lifestyle audits to deter corruption and restore public confidence in institutions. The Philippines risks falling behind global best practices in governance without adopting similar measures.
The business community's call deserves urgent attention from government leaders. By institutionalizing lifestyle checks, the Philippines can demonstrate that transparency is more than a slogan and accountability more than a promise.
The Ombudsman's restoration of SALN access has opened the door to greater transparency. Now, implementing lifestyle checks would ensure the nation walks through that door toward genuine accountability and restored public trust in government institutions.
