Philippine President Benigno Aquino III delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address during the joint session of the 16th Congress at the House of Representatives in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines Monday, July 28, 2014. AP/Aaron Favila
MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III may not have mentioned the Freedom of Information Bill in his State of the Nation Address, but lawmakers, at the prodding of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., expressed support Wednesday for its passage.
In his speech at the opening of Congress’ regular session on Monday, hours before the Sona, Belmonte pushed for the passage of an FOI law in the spirit of Section 7, Article 3 of the Constitution that recognizes the right of the people to information on matters of public concern.
“We must craft a viable FOI Law to promote greater transparency and strengthen accountability in government, without unduly restricting the latitude of options for government action in the delivery of services to the public and in responding expeditiously to the needs of our people,” he said.
Responding to Belmonte’s call, a number of congressmen expressed support for the FOI bill, which would mandate the disclosure of public records.
The Senate has passed its version of the FOI bill but it remains pending in the House of Representatives.
In a statement, Deputy Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao said that with the Speaker himself making a special pitch, there was now “a big chance” the FOI bill would pass this session.
“The only kink I see would be the busy schedule of Congress. The budget hearing plus the impeachment complaints would surely occupy a good part of our time,” said Aggabao, representative of Isabela.
Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, chair of the committee on good government and public accountability, also welcomed the Speaker’s commitment to prioritize the FOI bill.
“It is nice to hear the Speaker pitching for support for the FOI bill. If I remember it right, I was the first one to file the original bill in the Eighth Congress because of my experience with the military then,” he said.
Abakada Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz, a member of the independent minority bloc, said it was high time the FOI bill was enacted into law.
“The FOI is one law which should have been passed a long time ago and should have been one of the priorities under this administration of ‘daang matuwid’ (straight path),” said Dela Cruz.
Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, author of one of the pending FOI bills, lauded Belmonte for his declaration of support for the passage of the FOI law during the 16th Congress.
“I thank the speaker for his support for the FOI bill in his opening speech. As a major proponent of this bill, I really hope we can make this a law before the end of the year,” said Tambunting.
Tambunting said public officials as public servants are endowed with power but have the responsibility to be accountable at all times to the people to whom they owe their very own title and position.
Anti-Crime and Terrorism-Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Samuel Pagdilao said the speaker made the right call in endorsing the FOI bill.
“I will support the FOI bill to promote transparency and accountability in government,” said Pagdilao, a vice chair of the committee on public order and security.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing, a vice chair of the committee on women and gender equality, also backed the speaker’s endorsement of the FOI measure.
“I believe that the passage of the FOI bill will help bring back public trust to the government. The FOI bill promotes transparency and strengthens accountability. Thus, the speaker has my support for the FOI bill,” said Suansing.
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