‘May tinatago,’ Lacson says of politicians refusing to release SALN

Sen. Panfilo Lacson during a hybrid plenary session in the Senate. Senate PRIB file photo / Voltaire F. Domingo

MANILA, Philippines — Politicians who refuse to release their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) “have something to hide,” presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

Lacson made the remark after being asked to describe politicians who opt not to release and disclose their SALN.

“May tinatago (They have something to hide). Ako (With me), I just released my SALN yesterday,” Lacson said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Based on Lacson’s SALN, as of December 31, 2020, he has assets amounting to P58,791,069 and liabilities amounting to P460,800. This gives him a net worth of P58,330,269.

With a net worth of P58.3 million, Lacson ranks 16th out of 24 senators in terms of declared net worth. Fellow presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao ranks second among all senators with a net worth of P3.18 billion.

The issue of releasing SALN once again surfaced after presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Monday afternoon he will not make his SALN public, especially if it would be used for political attacks.

However, in an interview with One News PH aired Monday night, Marcos clarified that he is “perfectly willing” to release his SALN to the public.

He, nonetheless, reiterated his concern that SALNs of government officials are prone to be used for political purposes similar to what he witnessed during the impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.

JPV