House passes Freedom of Information bill
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved on final reading a bill guaranteeing the public’s right to access government information, moving the long-delayed measure closer to becoming law amid renewed scrutiny of government spending and corruption.
House Bill No. 9397, or the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, secured 284 votes, with no opposition or abstentions. The measure now goes to bicameral conference committee talks to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions.
The vote comes as questions persist over alleged irregularities in flood control projects and the use of confidential funds.
READ: House advances bill strengthening right to information
“We could have stopped the massive corruption hiding behind substandard flood control projects and unchecked confidential funds if Congress had armed our citizens with a real right to information sooner,” Dinagat Islands Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao said.
“This state secrecy has allowed these anomalies to fester in the dark while previous versions of this bill gathered dust. Today, we finally break that cycle of delay,” she said.
READ: Malacañang: FOI law among 44 priority measures in 20th Congress
Although the right to information is guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution, Congress has repeatedly failed to pass an enabling law. The current proposal is among the Marcos administration’s priority measures.
Structural reforms
The bill would create an independent Right to Information Commission to oversee implementation and enforce transparency requirements across government.
It requires agencies to publish information of public interest and covers all branches of government, constitutional commissions, local government units, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and -controlled corporations.
Citizens may request information directly from agencies or through a centralized online portal without having to justify their requests.
“Transparency is not merely a policy objective; it is a fundamental pillar of public trust,” Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos III said.
Accountability
Transparency advocates welcomed the measure, saying it could be a “game changer” for governance as it provides broader transparency and strengthens accountability in a country that ranked 120th out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.
“An FOI law could be powershifting as it gives citizens the power of information,” said Joy Aceron, convener-director of G-Watch. “It introduces a regime of openness in the bureaucracy, affirming that public office is a public trust.”
Patrick Acupan of the FOI Youth Initiative said the challenge would be implementation.
“Half the work is already done because the information already exists,” he said. “What remains is the willingness and capacity to disclose it to citizens.” /cb
