Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—If champions of the contentious Freedom of Information Bill decide to field a neophyte to lead the House committee on public information, they might choose the widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Camarines Sur Representative-elect Leni Robredo.
Legislators pushing for the FOI Bill’s passage in the 16th Congress expect opponents to block the measure anew but seem unperturbed by the challenges ahead.
But they will be pushing for the bill’s approval without the leadership of the measure’s main proponent in the 15th Congress, Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, whose third term ended a week ago.
Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat, one of the bill’s proponents, said that the first step to ensuring the measure’s approval in the committee level is to ensure an FOI champion sits as chairperson of the House committee on public information.
“We are strategizing to ensure that an FOI advocate chairs the committee on public information,” he said.
Lawmakers who championed the FOI Bill in the 15th Congress were likely contenders for the post but Baguilat, who was the vice chairperson of the public information panel, said that if they chose to “break tradition and look for neophytes as chair, I could even suggest Leni Robredo.”
He said that the fact that the newly-elected Camarines Sur legislator values the principles of her late husband, a “paragon of transparency and good governance”, made her a worthy candidate for the position.
“We haven’t yet talked actually. These are just offhand suggestions. But I heard she’s filing her own FOI bill. And I’m sure she’ll take the challenge if asked,” Baguilat said.
But even Baguilat, who presided over the public information committee whenever its chairman Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone was not available, said that he was “willing to be the whip for FOI.”
“Because we need someone accountable in galvanizing efforts,” he said.
FOI champions will convene before Congress goes back in session by July to “lay our first step which is getting hold of the committee.”
If they choose to go with tradition and not endorse a neophyte lawmaker, the Ifugao lawmaker said they would push for the chairmanship to go to him, Cibac Partylist Representative Sherwin Tugna, Akbayan Partylist Representative Walden Bello or Diwa Partylist Representative Emmeline Aglipay.
Bello said that he would lobby for Baguilat should the former public information committee vice chairperson seek to lead the panel.
But he was not interested in the position, maintained the partylist lawmaker.
Bello could not speculate on who was likely to be chosen as chairperson of the committee “since things are at a very early stage, with members on vacation, some of them like the Speaker being abroad.”
“I think serious consideration of chairmanships by the House leadership will begin July 1,” he said.
For now, Baguilat said that they were all busy drafting their individual FOI Bills “that hew closely with the consolidated committee report of the 15th Congress and the bicameral report of the 14th Congress.”
“We intend to file these bills on July 1 and thereabouts,” he added.