SALN — Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (Philippines)

A SALN — Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth in the Philippines records the parties' agreement in writing, defining what each is required to do and the consequences if they do not.

The SALN serves as the primary anti-corruption accountability instrument in the Philippine government. Republic Act No. 6713, Section 8(A) requires every public official and employee to file the SALN upon assumption of office (within 30 days), annually on or before April 30 of each year covering assets and liabilities as of December 31 of the preceding year, and upon separation from service within 30 days of separation. The SALN must be notarized before submission to the designated SALN receiving official of the agency under CSC Resolution No. 060231.

The Ombudsman Act (Republic Act No. 6770) and the Office of the Ombudsman Memorandum Circular No. 01-17 prescribe the SALN form and implement the public disclosure requirements, mandating that SALNs be made available for public inspection and copying within 10 working days of a written request. The SALN is a public document under Section 20 of RA 6713.

Falsification of the SALN — including deliberate understatement of assets, omission of business interests, or failure to disclose a spouse's properties — is a criminal offense under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (falsification of public documents) and a ground for dismissal from service under Republic Act No. 3019, Section 7. The Supreme Court upheld SALN-related dismissals in Ombudsman v. Torres (G.R. No. 168309, January 20, 2009) and Ombudsman v. Delijero (G.R. No. 172635, October 20, 2010).

The SALN is a critical document in lifestyle check investigations conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to detect unexplained wealth — assets that are disproportionate to the official's legitimate income — which constitutes a ground for forfeiture under the Anti-Plunder Law (Republic Act No. 7080) and the Act on Ill-Gotten Wealth (EO 14-A).

The legal framework governing the SALN — Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (Philippines) in Philippines draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under Philippine law, the Civil Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 386) governs contractual obligations. The Revised Corporation Code (Republic Act No. 11232) regulates corporate entities through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Labor Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 442) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) govern employment matters. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) protect personal data. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) administers tax obligations under the National Internal Revenue Code. Parties executing a SALN — Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (Philippines) in Philippines should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Local Government Code (RA 7160) sets the foundational requirements.

The SALN in the Philippines is required for every government official and employee covered by Republic Act No. 6713 at three mandatory filing events.

The SALN must be filed within 30 days of assumption of office — whether through original appointment, promotion, transfer, reemployment, or election — covering the official's assets, liabilities, and net worth as of the date of assumption. This initial SALN establishes the baseline financial position against which future filings are compared in lifestyle check investigations.

The SALN must be filed annually on or before April 30 of each year, covering assets, liabilities, and net worth as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year, for all incumbent government officials and employees. The annual SALN is submitted to the designated receiving official of the official's agency, which is typically the Human Resources or Records Division, and must be notarized.

The SALN must be filed within 30 days of separation from government service — whether by resignation, optional retirement, compulsory retirement, or removal from office — covering assets, liabilities, and net worth as of the date of separation. The separation SALN documents the official's financial position at the conclusion of government service for comparison with the initial assumption-of-office SALN.

The SALN is needed for promotion processing — CSC MC 24-17 requires that the promotion nominee's most recent SALN be attached to the appointment papers for CSC attestation, confirming the nominee's compliance with anti-graft disclosure requirements.

The SALN is required for contract awards involving government officials — under GPPB (Government Procurement Policy Board) rules, government officials involved in procurement decisions must have current SALN filings to establish they have no business interests conflicting with the procurement contracts under Section 47 of Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act).

A valid Philippine SALN must contain the following essential disclosures as prescribed by the CSC SALN Form (available on the CSC website) and Section 8 of RA 6713.

Identity of the Filer: Full legal name, position, agency, salary grade, and the period covered by the SALN (as of December 31 of the previous year for annual filings, or as of the date of assumption/separation for event-based filings). The SALN must also cover the spouse's name and employer and the names, ages, and addresses of unmarried dependent children below 18 years.

Real Property Assets: All real property owned or co-owned by the official, spouse, and unmarried minor children — including residential lots, agricultural land, commercial properties, condominiums, and inherited properties — identified by TCT (Transfer Certificate of Title) number, lot number, location, area, assessed value (per Tax Declaration from LGU Assessor), market/current fair value (appraised value), and mode of acquisition (purchase, inheritance, donation).

Personal Property Assets: All personal property with significant value, including motor vehicles (with OR/CR from LTO, make, model, year, and value), jewelry and collectibles above PHP 50,000 per item, cash on hand and in bank deposits above PHP 50,000, investments (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, UITFs), and receivables.

Liabilities: All outstanding loans, mortgages, credit card balances exceeding PHP 50,000, and other debts — identified by creditor name, amount, and maturity date. Government-issued loans (GSIS, Pag-IBIG, DBP, SSS) and commercial bank loans should be listed separately.

Net Worth Computation: Net worth = Total Assets minus Total Liabilities. The net worth figure is the key metric used by the Ombudsman and lifestyle check investigators to assess consistency with the official's legitimate government income over the period of service.

Business Interests and Financial Connections: Disclosure of any business enterprise, directorship, officership, or shareholding (directly or through a spouse or dependents) in any private company, partnership, or joint venture — required under Section 7 of RA 3019 to identify potential conflicts of interest. Relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity involved in government transactions must also be disclosed under Section 9 of RA 6713.

Additional compliance elements for a SALN — Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (Philippines) used in Philippines include: Under Philippine law, the Civil Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 386) governs contractual obligations. The Revised Corporation Code (Republic Act No. 11232) regulates corporate entities through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Labor Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 442) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) govern employment matters. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173) and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) protect personal data. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) administers tax obligations under the National Internal Revenue Code. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Philippines-compliant documentation.