FOI bill hearings like ‘turtle on the ground’

By: 10 years ago

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—After four meetings to discuss the 24 versions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bills, a House of Representatives committee barely scratched the surface for the measure to hurdle the panel for the plenary.

The committee on public information is stuck at Section 7 that would list the exemptions from fully disclosing information. All in all, the bills have as much as 25 sections.

As of Monday, the committee has just gone past Sections 7a and 7b, which exempt documents from full disclosure information on national security and defense, as well as information that are kept confidential under the President’s executive privilege.

Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat, one of the FOI supporters in Congress, likened their committee hearings to “a turtle on the ground.”

He added that the confusion on presenting the matrix of the 24, the lack of a timeline on the next hearings, and the failure to extend meetings beyond 4 p.m. all contributed to the slow pace of the meetings.

Baguilat said though the intent to fast track the bill by committee chairman Jorge Almonte “isn’t questionable.” “I wish he would use the gavel to speed up decision-making,” he added.

According to the committee, the technical working group formed to consolidate the bills met four times since it was formed in December 2012.

Reached for his side, Misamis Occidental Rep. Almonte said he does not want a deadline so that they could focus on passing a “well-crafted” bill. Almonte has been criticized for sitting down on the bill under his chairmanship.

“We cannot put a deadline, except the eventual passing of a well-crafted House FOI measure in this 16^th Congress,” Almonte said in a text message.

The FOI bill, which ensures transparency and accountability in government transactions and data, continue to languish in the lower chamber even as its Senate counterpart has approved its version.