Solon calls for urgent passage of FOI bill
2 MIN READ
By RAYMUND BAGUILAT
QUEZON CITY — Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat called on the leaders and members of the House of Representatives to urgently pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill.
“What legacy will the 15th Congress leave in return for the trust conferred on us by our citizens?” Baguilat asked his colleagues in a privilege speech, while he pressed for the passage of the FOI Bill as the current Congress’s legacy to the Filipino people.
The FOI law is intended to give flesh to the people’s right to government information stated in Section 7, Article III of the Constitution. The provision states that “The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.”
However, with no law setting the limitations, the right has become difficult to exercise as government agencies have been left to devise their own, often stringent, restrictions.
In his privilege speech, Baguilat briefly recounted the challenges encountered by the FOI bill, including the ratification stage of the bill at the last day of the 14th Congress, where the attendance of members suddenly dissipated under questionable circumstances, leading to a lack of quorum. The absence of a quorum meant no further action could be taken on the bill, thus it went back to step one during the 15th Congress.
Baguilat noted that “Beyond the 10 or so laws of national significance that [Congress has] so far passed, only a few more will be added out of the about 5,000 bills filed in this Congress.”
He added that “The few measures that will be added will be those already in the advanced stages of the legislative process in both Houses, or those given extraordinary push by the House leadership and the Executive,” implying that without the needed extraordinary push, the FOI bill would again fail to be passed.
“I respectfully urge the Committee on Rules to exercise its powers and declare the FOI Bill urgent, providing for a timetable fixing the date when it must be reported by the Committee on Public Information, up to the period when final vote should be taken,” Baguilat pleaded, as he noted that by this time, some members of Congress would be distracted with the upcoming local elections.
“The FOI law can become a reality in the 15th Congress,” Baguilat stressed, adding “Let this be one of our landmark achievements, our lasting and institutional contribution to democracy and responsive, accountable government.” # nordis.net
