Calls grow for access to past SALNs as officials release recent records

All 24 members of the 20th Congress of the Senate and their 2024 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) have now been completed, with the latest batch being Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Imee Marcos.

UP Professor Danilo Arao said in a press release, “Public disclosure of SALNs from an official’s first year in office is necessary so that people can scrutinize them and identify inconsistencies.”

Former Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casiño agreed, noting that transparency through SALN release allows the public to verify claims and makes it more difficult for officials to hide unexplained or ill-gotten wealth.

Among the highest declared net-worths are those of Mark Villar and Raffy Tulfo, each reporting wealth in the “billion-peso” range with P1,261,337,817 and P1,052,977,100, respectively. 

The report also shows Vicente Sotto III having the highest worth of liabilities with P276 million.

Chiz Escudero is noted in the report as having the lowest net worth among the group of senators, with a little less than P19 million. 

Senators Risa Hontiveros and Robinhood Padilla were the first to make public their SALN showing P18 million and P244 million, respectively. 

Followed by only eight House members, followed by released copies of their 2025 SALNs.

The highest worth of assets among the released was Rep. Arlene Bag-ao of the lone district of Dinagat Islands in Mindanao, declared P15 million in total assets, followed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno declared P13.1 million total assets, and Reps. Antonio Tinio of party-list ACT Teachers revealed a P10.9 million net worth of assets. 

Rep. Dadah Ismula of Akbayan party-list declared a net worth of P3.2 million, P2.2 million from Rep. Eli San Fernando of Kamanggagawa party-list, and Sara Jane Elago of women’s group Gabriela with P1.1 million.

Rep. Percival Cendaña is worth only a million pesos, and 27-year-old lawyer Renee Co of Kabataan party-list, P280,000.

All eight are part of the minority led by Rep. Marcelino Libanan.

Earlier this week, Oct. 26, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated his willingness to make his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) public to “proper authority” and in accordance with procedures laid out by the Ombudsman, according to Malacanang.