MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) required Tuesday justices of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, and the Sandiganbayan, and judges organizations in the country to comment on the petitions to make public copies of their statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN).

SC spokesman and Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez said the comments are required so that the “court can come up with a policy.”

In a 1989 SC resolution, justices are required to submit their yearly SALNs to the clerk of court.

The failure of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona to make public his SALNs was included in the eight articles of impeachment now on trial before the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court.

Marquez said that three years ago, a petition had been filed asking to make public the SALNs of SC justices. This case has not been resolved, he said.

Later, he said the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) sent a letter on the request for SALNs of justices.

The PCIJ letter was converted into a formal petition.

This developed as Rep. Salvio Fortuno (LP, Camarines Sur) proposed a revision of the law requiring public officials to submit statements of assets, liabilities and net worth by making its disclosure mandatory.

Fortuno filed House Bill 5694 which he said will nullify a Supreme Court directive giving the judiciary the privilege of denying any request for information on the SALN of its members.

HB 5694 also proposes to centralize the filing of SALN with the Office of the Ombudsman.