HOUSE SPEAKER Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Monday said all government officials should release their yearly net worth records to help regain public trust amid a widening scandal involving bogus flood control deals.
“Everyone’s SALN (statement of assets, liabilities and net worth) should be visible and open, so we can truly be transparent to Filipinos and restore their trust in us,” he told reporters in Filipino.
Despite longstanding laws enforcing SALNs, public access has been increasingly curtailed in recent years. A 2020 memorandum by the Office of the Ombudsman has tightened restrictions by requiring consent from officials before release.
Net worth records should be made available for inspection and copying after 10 working days from the time they were filed, according to a 2009 Ombudsman memorandum, and should be made available to the public for up to 10 years from its submission.
“It’s necessary for them to see [all SALNs], not just those in Congress,” Mr. Dy said, adding that he’s willing to release his own net worth records if called upon.
House Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V said there are gaps in laws governing SALNs, specifically in allowing access. “That’s the number one gap there. I don’t see anything wrong with making SALNs public,” he told reporters.
“Reforms to the SALN framework are worth considering,” Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “At present, the law technically allows public access, but the restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles make it difficult in practice.”
“If we are serious about restoring trust, then SALNs should be treated not just as compliance documents but as instruments of transparency. Mandating their release, while safeguarding against misuse or harassment, would send a strong signal of accountability,” he added.
Mr. Dy said congressmen should let the independent commission take the lead in the investigation into anomalous flood control deals, adding that the House committee investigating bogus flood control deals should turn over its documents to the fact-finding body.
“Most Filipinos no longer believe what’s being uncovered in the House committee,” he said in Filipino. “All the reports and details about what happened at the infrastructure committee need to be submitted to the ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure).”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in mid-September created a fact-finding panel into billions worth of bogus flood control deals, which is tasked to investigate irregularities in public works projects involving substandard, incomplete or nonexistent infrastructure.
Reports of irregularities in infrastructure contracts have fueled public outrage after a series of typhoons and monsoon rains earlier this year left Metro Manila and nearby provinces flooded despite extensive flood control projects.
Mr. Marcos said in August that more than 6,000 flood control projects launched since 2022 lacked key details. About P545 billion has been allocated for flood control since then, with P100 billion cornered by top contractors.
On Sunday, thousands of Filipinos marched in the capital in the biggest protest so far against the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, turning weeks of online outrage over corruption into mass street demonstrations that rattled the political establishment.
SENATE SESSIONMeanwhile, the Philippine Senate will delay its regular session on Tuesday to give way to a hearing on alleged corruption in flood control projects, Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.
Mr. Lacson, who heads the Senate blue ribbon committee, asked Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III to move the session to 4 p.m. from 3 p.m. to allow more time for the inquiry. Senate Secretary Renato N. Bantug, Jr. confirmed the change in a notice to all Senate offices.
The committee will examine documents from former Public Works engineer Brice Hernandez, who accused some lawmakers and government officials of inserting funds into the budget and receiving kickbacks from questionable flood control projects.
He had been cited in contempt for lying under oath but was later allowed under heavy security to retrieve evidence from his home.
“The blue ribbon committee is to analyze the documents and other items submitted by Hernandez after he was allowed to return to his home under tight security to retrieve potential evidence to back his allegations,” Mr. Lacson said in a statement.
He added that the investigation must “get to the bottom of the case and hold those accountable to task,” noting that the issue reflects long-standing problems in the handling of public funds for infrastructure.
The senator also called for stronger safeguards in the budget process, saying Congress should bar lawmakers from making further insertions, particularly for infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“I hope House Speaker Faustino Dy III and Senate President Sotto can agree with the chairmen of the House appropriations committee and Senate finance committee to bar insertions for infrastructure projects especially for the DPWH,” he said. “Because it all starts there, and some lawmakers got greedier and greedier.”
The scandal has fueled calls for greater accountability and tighter oversight of the infrastructure budget, which takes up a large share of annual government spending. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Adrian H. Halili
