CITING the urgent need to restore public trust in government, Kamanggagawa Party-list Representative Eli San Fernando on Saturday announced two major initiatives aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in government institutions.
At 9:30 AM, San Fernando visited the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) in Taguig City to submit an urgent appeal for the Commission to livestream its hearings to the public. Later, at 11:30 AM, he formally submitted a letter to House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil authorizing public access to his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN)—a move in line with the Ombudsman’s recent directive lifting restrictions on SALN disclosure.
San Fernando said both actions reflect a consistent effort to restore faith in public institutions through openness and integrity.
“At a time when public trust has been severely eroded by massive corruption and government inaction, decisive steps toward transparency are urgently required,” he said. “Sawang-sawa na ang manggagawa’t ordinaryong Pilipino sa pagkukubli ng mga pulitiko: sa imbestigasyong walang patutunguhan at sa patagong pagpapayaman habang nakaupo sa pwesto.”
In his letter to the ICI, San Fernando emphasized that livestreaming hearings would be “a tangible expression proving the Commission’s commitment to transparency and accountability,” especially in investigating alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects.
In his press briefing earlier, he lambasted ICI’s seemingly secretive approach in probing the anomalous flood control scandal. “Bakit parang tinatago? Bakit parang may pinagtatakpan dito sa ICI proceedings? Ang pinag-uusapan natin dito daang bilyong piso… with that magnitude of public resources involved, usapin yan ng public interest.”
In his correspondence with the House Secretary General, he added that “openness in the declaration of assets and liabilities strengthens public trust and reinforces the moral foundation of our democratic institutions.”
San Fernando urged all public officials to follow suit by authorizing the release of their SALNs and supporting measures that make government processes accessible to the public.
“If we truly believe that public office is a public trust, then transparency must begin with us,” he said.
Rep. San Fernando is a co-author of House Bill No. 4453, which pushes for the ICI to have greater powers and ensure that it is “credible, broad-based, and independent.”
Kamanggagawa Partylist reaffirms its commitment to championing governance which truly uplifts the lives of workers and ordinary Filipinos, anchored on transparency, accountability and genuine political participation.
About the Author
