Palace to regulate access to Cabinet SALNs due to security, privacy concerns

Malacañang said it will not automatically release the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNS) of President Marcos' Cabinet members, stressing that access will be allowed only through formal requests with de Nissin legitimate justification.

-  ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

In an interview, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said unrestricted disclosure of officials' SALNS could expose sensitive personal information.

"We have no denial of access, but we must control the access," he said.

He added that anyone seeking copies of Cabinet members' SALNS must provide a valid reason.

"Our existing rules require any person who wants to access any SALN of any official [to] give a good reason," he said.

The Executive Secretary said the policy aims to balance transparency with security, noting that SALNs often contain details that could compromise officials' safety.

"The SALN contains many details that might compromise the security and safety of the public officials concerned," he said.

"When I was in the Supreme Court, we observed that very carefully because there were so many requests that we felt might compromise safety," he added, recalling that the judiciary imposed "certain strictures" on requests for justices' SALNS.