Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan backed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla’s decision to lift the restrictions on the public disclosure of Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) previously imposed by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, and urged that the disclosure begin with Martires’ own SALN.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Pangilinan expressed support for Remulla's move and suggested that Martires’ SALN be the first to be disclosed, covering the period from his appointment as a Supreme Court Justice up to his retirement as Ombudsman in 2025.

“Baka sakali magkaalaman na bakit tutol ito sa paglabas ng SALN,” added Pangilinan, emphasizing the need for full transparency in the public disclosure to shed light on the issue.

Martires was appointed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 2017 by former President Rodrigo Duterte, and the following year, in 2018, he was appointed as Ombudsman.

In 2020, Martires issued Memorandum Circular No. 1, which limited public access to SALNs.

Under this circular, only the SALN filer, their authorized representative, or a court order could access the documents.

Meanwhile, Remulla has already removed the restrictions on public access to government officials’ SALNs.

Under the Memorandum Circular 3, SALNs filed with the Ombudsman will be accessible to the public for inspection and reproduction 10 working days after the submission deadline from all government agencies.

The circular also covers lifestyle checks, allowing individuals with evidence of a public official’s assets being disproportionate to their income to file a formal complaint with the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office (FIO).