FOI bill not on House priority list

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the House Speaker’s vow that the freedom of information bill would be passed under his term, the proposed measure that would ensure transparency in government is not yet included in the chamber’s priority list.

This is because the technical working group within the Committee on Public Information has yet to discuss the 20 bills for consolidation, House Majority Floor Leader Mandaluyong Representative Neptali Gonzales II said Tuesday.

“Ang pagkakaintindi ko, nag-create sila ng technical working group (TWG) at ang target nila ay maglabas ng TWG by February, (As I understand, the committee created a technical working group and its target is to meet by February),” Gonzales said.

Asked if the FOI bill is in the priority list, Gonzales said it is in the “House leadership’s priority.”

“Kasama siya sa priority ng House leadership except ‘yung nag-set ng time table ‘yung mga committees (It is in the priority of the House leadership but that the committees were the ones making the time table),” he added.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had vowed that the FOI bill would be passed under his term.

A cursory look at the January 15 list shows that the bills for reporting by the committee to the plenary are the following: bill amending the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas charter, promoting micro-enterprise development institutions, implementing a national land use policy, defining forest boundaries.

Amending the Fisheries code, institutionalizing a ladderized education program, establishing open high school system for out of school youth and adults, implementing open learning through distance education in post-secondary and tertiary levels, and establishing a national student loan program.

These are among the priority bills for reporting in March, the list said.

Gonzales said the priority bills were decided by the House leadership.

Misamis Occidental Rep. Jorge Almonte, chair of the House committee on public information, earlier said they plan to meet about the bill on the first week of February.

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