MANILA — Malacañang on Monday told Vice President Leni Robredo the release of President Rodrigo Duterte's disclosure of wealth rests on the Office of the Ombudsman.

This, after Robredo over the weekend called on Duterte to disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN).

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said the President "complied with his constitutional duty to submit or file his SALN."

"The stance of the Office of the President has been clear and consistent: We leave it to the Office of the Ombudsman, an independent constitutional body, to release to the public President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth," Roque said in a statement.

"Interested parties may therefore wish to write a formal communication to the Office of the Ombudsman, which has copies of SALNs of all public officials, asking for a copy of the said document," he added.

Robredo on Sunday said it was better for Duterte to disclose his SALN to bolster his anti-corruption stance, instead of promising to audit the whole government if he is elected as vice president next year.

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The vice president has been releasing her own SALN to requesting parties.

A lawyer like Duterte, Robredo said auditing the government was not a mandate of the Office of the Vice President.

HOW CAN YOU GET SALN COPY?

The Ombudsman last year said copies of the SALN may only be provided if:

- the request is from the declarant or the person who filed the SALN or the duly authorized representative of the declarant;
- there is a court order; or
- the request is made by the Ombudsman’s field investigation units.

• A citizen’s guide to where and how to get a SALN

Duterte has been declaring his wealth yearly before the anti-corruption body's restricted public access to the SALN for the first time since the law mandating public disclosure of this document was passed in 1989.

"Wala pong itinatago ang ating Presidente," Roque earlier said.

(Our President is not hiding anything.)

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Duterte, 76, said he will run as vice president in 2022 to pursue his "unfinished business" against illegal drugs and government corruption, which in 2016 he promised voters he could stamp out in 3 to 6 months.

Critics fear Duterte's vice presidential run could be a ploy to keep his grip on power and avoid facing courts.

Candidacies only need to be officially filed starting in October.

— With a report from Reuters